Although I do my best to prepare my customers for their photography sessions, sometimes a few things slip through the cracks. Here are the top five mistakes people make at their photography sessions:
Check Those Teeth. You fed everyone (both kids and adults) before heading over — good! As you pull up to your location, peek into that rear-view mirror and check your teeth for anything that shouldn’t be there. Food particles end up being one of the top things I end up retouching from a beautiful face. Also, it doesn’t hurt to whip out those baby wipes and take a pass on the kids’ faces, especially if they were snacking in the car.
Keep Those Kids Awake. With the exception of a newborn baby, kids that sleep on the way to the shoot often wake up grumpy and sometimes don’t snap out of it for the entire session… Try to get their nap in beforehand, but if you plan to have your kids sleep on the way to the session, arrive at least 20 minutes early to let them warm up to the new space. Otherwise, don’t let those kiddos fall asleep in the car if you want to make the most of your session time.
Leave the Heels at Home. High heels are very flattering in photos but not when they are plunged three inches into wet grass. Yikes! The terrain at parks and outdoor locations is most likely going to involve dirt, grass, rocks or a mixture of all three. Ladies, keep those heels at home and wear some cute flats, booties or even wedges. If you have your heart set on showing off those new pair of Manolo’s, let me know and I’ll pick a location that has appropriate flooring (aka concrete) to show them off.
Candy. So many well-intentioned parents will bring a little candy or a special treat to their session to keep their kids engaged and smiling. Feel free to bring something, but keep in mind what effect that food/candy will have on your child’s appearance. Anything with dye in it will turn lips, teeth and tongues that color (hello, blue smiles!), so avoid brightly colored candies or drinks. Chocolate and chocolate-covered bars often melt and gets on faces, hands, clothes and in teeth. Lollipops take FOREVER to finish. Even berries can make a mess. Some safe alternatives are smarties, gummy bears and naturally colored jelly beans. If you don’t do sugar, sliced apples and string cheese are great (and clean) snacks. Also, keep in mind that a lot of kids get wound-up after eating sugar, so try to avoid it before the session and only bring it out towards the end of the shoot. Remember to keep it a surprise — the last thing you want is your kids begging you for candy the whole first hour of the shoot…
Keep Calm and Carry On. No matter how young they are, kids pick up on anxiety. If Mom and Dad aren’t calm, the kids won’t be calm either. I know it can be difficult after rushing around all day, making sure you’ve got everything just right, but try to take a deep breath and RELAX before your session. I will take good care of you, so all you have to do is show up, be yourself and follow my directions. If you can do that, you’re halfway there already.
Can’t wait to photograph your family (hopefully, without blue tongues) soon! 😉
Jill
