Tips for Taking Family Photos

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Dress (old, similar here and here) | Espadrilles | Sloane’s Outfit, similar here | Sloane’s Shoes | Sloane’s Hair Bow | Kurt’s Shirt | Kurt’s Pants | Kurt’s Shoes, similar here

We just got back our family photos last week and I am so in love! We haven’t had them done since Sloane’s newborn photos which was over two years ago. So we were overdue lol. The main reason is I just couldn’t find a photographer who I liked enough to spend the money on. The one we used for my maternity and newborn photos is amazing, but she is $$$. And a little more than I wanted to spend every year.

I finally found Tessa and I just love her work! And the best part is that she is local and shoots in Grosse Pointe. The day of our photos was crazy. I was running around trying to get myself ready, Sloane ready and Kurt too haha. So it was nice that we didn’t have to drive that far. I’m so happy with how they turned out. And I know we will be a repeat customer!

Here are ten tips for taking family photos:

1. Find a photographer. This might seem simple, but it’s not that easy! I am really picky on how photographers filter and edit their photos so I always scan their website and Instagram profiles before I decide to book. I personally like light and bright photos and this is werid, but I am really picky about how green tones are edited. I love how my photographer uses a more muted green vs. a bright green. It is all personal preference, but find a photographer who you like their style and you will be much happier with your photos.
2. For yourself- add more makeup than you normally wear. I know this sounds weird and I hate the idea of pilling on lots of makeup. But you will look so much better in your photos. I wore foundation which these days I normally don’t wear. And I added a lot more blush than I normally do. Nothing to crazy, but a few extra swipes. I didn’t want to look washed out.
3. Have a color scheme. I’m not really a fan of matchy, matchy but you have to have an overall theme for what you are wearing. Sloane’s outfit had pink and blue in it. My dress picked up the pink and Kurt’s outfit picked up the blue. We aren’t totally matching, but it all works together and the colors all look nice together.
4. Think of where you will display your photos. We took our family photos in the park with falling leaves and it was the perfect backdrop! I am not a burgundy/orange/rust type of person (the typical fall colors), so while that would have looked beautiful, I choose a color scheme that worked better for my home which is where I will display our photos. My house is blues, white, creams, pops of pink. So our pink and blue color scheme will match seamlessly with my décor when I go to display them.
5. Pick your outfit first. I didn’t do this this year, but next year I am for sure going to be picking my outfit out first. This is important because you want to look and feel your best. And sometimes it is hard when you feel limited on a color and trying to find something to match to everyone else.
6. Shop your closet. I am a huge advocate of shopping your own closet before buying something new. I felt like I wasn’t finding anything I loved and come to find out I had the perfect dress in my closet already! You want to feel good in what you are wearing so why not wear something that you already love!
7. Dress for the weather. This is huge because you don’t want to be uncomfortable. It will show thru your photos. The day of our photos it was so hot- 80 degrees! And it was one of the hottest days we had a long time. I was originally going to wear tall boots, but decided to switch it up last minute to espadrilles so I would be more comfortable and not hot. If you plan on taking your photos when its chillier out- wear coats so you don’t feel uncomfortable.
8. Keep photos natural. I love the more natural photos when you don’t realize the photographer is still snapping away. In the picture of Sloane and I, I was trying twirling around with her to get her to smile. But in the meantime we got the best picture! And I have to admit- my hair looks pretty good too haha! I love the more natural photos personally.
9. Add a stuffed animal if needed. Sloane was being a little shy, so I let her bring her bunny along. And it was a nice ice breaker. He is in some of the photos, but I just made sure she brought one that would look cute in our photos if he ended up in any haha. I think it’s a cute reminder and years later we will look back with a smile that it is one of Sloane’s favorite stuffed animals.
10. Keep smiling. This is a hard one, but I always try and look cute and have a smile on my face. The worst is when you finally get your kids to look cute and then you look terrible haha. So always try your best to look good so when your kids finally cooperate, you look good too! I try and ignore what is going on and smile and pose. It’s hard to do, but hey, I want to look good in my photos too!

Hopefully you found these tips for taking family photos helpful!

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xoxox Amanda

Photos by Tessa Merrill

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