First I must say that this is such an exciting thing that you are planning your Family Photoshoot! I want you to realise how fantastic it is that you are taking the time to pause and value this as a wonderful way to celebrate and unite your family. 

Here are a few steps to get ready for your family photo session.

What to wear during my photoshoot?

1. Be Yourself

I believe each family is unique and special, so I want you to be YOU during your session. This could sound silly but you are unique and beautiful, I am only here to capture it! Be comfortable in your clothes and bring a warm jacket. Mums who wear high heels during their sessions should bring some comfy trainers for the walk to the location.

This is a special day so I want you to treat yourself -and your family- to a special dress, a blow-dry at your favourite hairdresser, a little hair bow for your little girl, and a shirt for your partner that will make his eyes shine. Shows your family’s true personality, but enhanced!

2. Be Timeless

Now think that these images will be your family heirloom, that you will cherish for your whole life. So avoid the latest fashion trends and wear simple and unbranded clothes. If you choose a pattern, keep it simple. Choose organic materials like cotton, linen, wool, etc… depending on the season.

3. Be united

I want to show your family love and union, so pick light colour tones that go together, but that aren’t the exact same colour; matched but not too matched! Let’s avoid the Fashion Faux Pas as we say in my country.

I have created a Pinterest board where you can see some wardrobe examples for all year round here. I have also created a board on what not to wear at your session. I am sure this will help you to understand these last 3 points I have made. 

You will notice I love mums wearing long dresses and hats. If you have a hat, bring it along!

Remember I am never far if you need me to review your wardrobe before your session.

Where to shoot

Outdoors

I love photographing families outdoors; I grew up in the French countryside on the west coast and loved exploring and finding interesting little corners; a hay ball, a brick wall, a tree with a strange shape, there is no limit to create.

By choosing your photoshoot to take place outdoors, I can work with more variety in the landscapes and poses. However, I try to stay away from very green areas to avoid ugly green tones on skin.

I would like to use 3 new outdoor locations every spring/summer and autumn/winter and will create a blog post about this at a later date. I invite you to sign up for my newsletter here to hear more about it! 

If you choose to have your photoshoot at home

Although I love working outdoors, I understood quickly enough that the weather wasn’t as indulgent in the UK as in the West of France, so working indoors became quickly an option. 

But even if I had to be flexible with it, I realise I also love photographing families in their own homes. I must admit it makes the images very personal and there are multiple poses to try; sitting on the kitchen floor, jumping mummy and daddy’s beds, laying on the sofa, and standing in front of the house. There are so many options.

So in order to be ready for your photo session at your home, I invite you to have a good tidy up together; make the beds, put the dishes away, buy some flowers and display in a vase, put away unnecessary items to avoid clutter in the background.

Open all the curtains to get as much natural light as possible. If your home is dark, don’t worry as I will bring some external lighting as well. This external lighting is portable, it’s a strobe flashlight, it has batteries so it doesn’t need to be plugged it in. This light has a soft diffuser that will imitate the natural light look that I love.

So for now I invite you to sign-up to my mailing list below to know more about the future outdoor locations.

Prepare some time & Relax

Prior to the shoot, If you choose to use an outdoor location, I will ask you to have 2-time slots available in case of rain. If the sky is grey we will still do the session. We live in the UK, and we must embrace a grey sky! Plus a grey sky = even light = prettier skin! 

I shoot in golden hours, at the first hour or last hour of sun in the day, so have a good night’s sleep or a nap to look your best.

Remember to iron your clothes, and prepare a picnic blanket for sitting outdoors if you have one.

And that’s it! Easy. Now you just have to wait for the session, enjoy some peaceful time with your family, and have a game of Monopoly around a warm cup of hot chocolate.

I invite you to book your Family Photo Session here.

Your North London Family Photographer,

Alba.