5 Things Your Photographer Wishes You Knew Before Your Family Session

There’s a version of a family photoshoot that lives in your head before it happens. Everyone is great moods. The kids are adorable, quiet, and all dressed up. Nobody cries. Nobody fights.

And then there’s real life.

Before your session with me, I want to share a few things I genuinely wish every family knew beforehand. Not because I need you to prepare more, but because I want you to worry less.

1. You Need More Time For a Photoshoot Than You Think

I hear it all the time.

“They won’t sit still. They have zero attention span. They’re completely feral. Twenty minutes is plenty.”

And here’s the thing: you know your kids. But I know how photoshoots work. And twenty minutes? We’ve honestly just gotten started.

Because we’re not spending those twenty minutes standing in a field staring at a camera. We’re talking. We’re moving. We’re playing. We’re doing the thing your family actually does. If we’re at your home, we’re doing an activity you’d do on any normal morning. The kids are warming up to me, I’m getting to know you, and somewhere in the middle of all of that, the real moments happen.

That’s why I don’t offer mini sessions.

Not because I want to take more of your time, but because I’ve seen what happens when we rush it. It is only after about 20-30 minutes that everyone starts to fully relax. Where Dad realizes this isn’t so bad after all. Where the shy kids start to feel comfortable. Where the energetic kids realize they don’t need to show off for me.

A full session gives us room to breathe. And breathing is where the good stuff lives.

2. The Kids Are Never the Problem

I want you to hear this one clearly.

In all my years of photographing families, it is almost never the children who make a session difficult.

It’s the adults.

I say this with so much love, because I am also a mom who has been that adult.

When a child is being nagged to smile, they resist. When they’re being managed and corrected, they shut down. When a parent is tense and quietly panicking that this is all going wrong, the kids feel that too. Children are tiny, finely tuned anxiety detectors.

What derails a session:

• “Just smile for one second.”
• “Look at the camera, please.”
• “We talked about this.”
• The quiet, desperate energy of a parent trying to hold it all together

What makes a session sing:

• A parent who lets go of the outcome
• Following my lead instead of directing the kids
• Actually engaging with your family instead of managing them

The moment a parent relaxes, something visibly shifts. Every single time.

Not to mention, we won’t end up with photos where the kids look absolutely adorable because they are laughing diabolically (read: adorable) and you’re in the background frowning.

And yes, absolutely promise them ice cream afterwards. Not as a bribe or a threat, but as a celebration. Something fun to look forward to together when we’re done. That lightness, the anticipation of “we’re going to do something fun today,” comes through in the photos more than you’d expect.

You Hired a Photographer for a Reason.

When you book a session with me, you’re not just hiring someone to press a button. You’re handing over the whole experience: the flow, the pace, the prompts, the patience, the chaos-wrangling.

That is my job. And I am good at it.

Your job is genuinely much simpler. You get to let go of control. Forget about the photos entirely. Be with your family. Talk to your kids, hold their hand, make them laugh, react to whatever unfolds. I’ll handle everything else.

The less you try to control the session, the better your photos will be. I promise you that is true every single time.

3. Feeling Awkward in Front of a Camera Doesn’t Make You Unphotogenic. It Makes You Human.

If I had a dollar for every time someone tolday me: “we’re not really photo people.”…

Feeling awkward in front of a camera is a pretty normal feeling, unless you are a professional model. So try to relax. I’m there to help you, to guide you, to suggest prompts, and to pay attention to how you’re feeling. By the time I’m capturing the moments that matter, you’ve usually forgotten I’m there. The awkwardness disappears when you stop thinking about the camera and just focus on being together.

The families who love their photos most are never the ones who performed the best. They’re the ones who relaxed into it. Who wore something they actually felt comfortable in. Who focused on each other instead of the lens. Who trusted the process even when it felt a little uncertain.

You don’t have to be a photo person. You just have to show up.

4. Be Yourself. Especially the Imperfect Parts.

I’ve seen it happen: an outfit that looked incredible online but feels completely wrong in real life. A smile that’s slightly too practiced. A pose held just a beat too long.

The camera always notices. Not because you did anything wrong, but because comfort shows. And so does its absence.

The most beautiful family photos I’ve ever taken have never been the ones where everything was perfect.

They’ve been the ones where something real happened.

A child said something ridiculous and everyone actually laughed. A toddler made a break for it and a parent scooped them up mid-run. A quiet moment between a mum and her baby that had nothing to do with me at all.

That’s what I’m here for. Not the polished version of your family. The real one. The one that future you will look back at and actually recognise.

So if you’re nervous, be nervous. If you’re a bit chaotic, be chaotic. If the kids are unpredictable, let them be unpredictable.

I’ve got it from here.

5. This Session Matters to Me Too

I know the amount of time, energy and money that goes into a session. And how because of that, how much pressure you feel to make it worth it. You’ve spent time looking for the right photographer. You talked Dad into going along with it, because it’s important to you. You maybe even had to bribe him more than you bribed the kids. Then comes the getting everyone out the door in clean clothes (but whoops Susan stained her dress on the way!) and you didn’t have nearly enough time to do your own hair and make-up because you’ve been taking care of everyone else.

I see all of it. And I want you to know that what you’ve invested in getting here is matched on my side too.

I have been thinking about your session for weeks.

Where we’ll go. How the light will fall. What your family dynamic is like. How I’ll get your kids to open up.

I regulary invest in my craft, my equipment, and my own education because I want to keep finding new ways to give you something that genuinely moves you.

You’re nervous. I completely understand. Here’s the thing though: I’m a little nervous too. Because this matters to me.

My whole approach to family photography has been shaped by my own experience of family life. The chaos, the love, the way it all goes so fast. I know what it feels like to want to hold onto a moment.

That’s why I do this the way I do it.

Every session is built around making it feel easy enough that you’ll actually want to do it again. Because the families who document their lives regularly are the ones who never regret it. Capturing memories that feel real, that feel like you, is how it becomes something you keep coming back to rather than a box you tick once and forget.

We’re in this together. And I can’t wait to meet you.

Ready to book your session?