Does the thought of family photos make you squirm a bit?
You aren’t alone! Hey, I’m Enzo and my sister Daniella and I take pictures on Oahu, Hawaii. We’ve had sessions with more than 500 families so we know how to make sure you have a great photoshoot, and how to help it be relaxed and ridiculously fun! I have 4 rambunctious kids aged 7, 5, 3, and 1. Our days are chaotic, with at least one kid getting a tantrum or having a hard time listening throughout the day. Or lets be real MULTIPLE times in a day 🤪 So I get it that having your pictures taken as a family sounds kind of daunting–or even impossible. While I can’t guarantee that your kids will cooperate fully during your family photo session, I can guarantee that we know how to handle kids that don’t cooperate, all while creating a laid back and fun atmosphere.
So, what can you expect at your family photoshoot? Let’s lay out what a typical session looks like.
A typical family photo session starts when the family gets to the shoot location. The photographer (me or Daniella) will get there early and make sure the weather is looking great. The family then comes at least 10 minutes early so we can go over expectations or talk about any poses or photos that you want to make sure we don’t forget, and to make sure we maximize the time to take photos when the lighting is best. I can’t say this enough, but being late to a photo session will throw off the whole thing. You will have less time to take pictures with good lighting (sunrises and sunsets don’t wait for us if we are stuck in traffic), and you may show up in a stressful or chaotic mood. Your kids can sense that so try to be as calming and collected as possible.
After our initial chat, it’s time to take your family photos! Every location we shoot at has a few different features that we have already scoped out ahead of time. It could be a beautiful mountain range, a gorgeous tree line, or a special part of the beach that we already know looks great. We will guide you to those specific spots throughout our time together, and take photos a long the way.
Instead of static forced photos, your family photo session will include LOTS of movement. Whether it’s asking you to hold hands and run, or having your kids do their best jump or skip, expect to move around. This loosens up those kids who are in a bad mood, and also helps make your family photo session tons of fun (which helps get the smiles that are genuine). See the movement photos below:
When we aren’t moving, we will do typical shots too (with some fart jokes thrown in 😝) Have you ever seen a kid not crack a smile when you say the word fart? I rest my case.
So that is what a typical session looks like. Lots of movement with some regular poses thrown in, lots of fun, and hopefully, many memories made!
Are you ready to book your family photo session? Click here to pick a date and get started!
Not quite ready? Browse other family sessions in our galleries here
