How to Prepare for a Family Portrait

Karla and Girls

Does the idea of coordinating your next family portrait stress you out just thinking about it? With a little advance planning and preparation, your next family portrait session will be memorable for all the right reasons.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Clothing
• Grooming tools

Advance Planning is the Key to A Successful Family Portrait

1. Call to arrange for a pre-portrait consultation with your photographer to look at other family portraits he’s taken and to share your vision for your family portrait or get ideas for what you want your finished family portrait to look like. Bring in samples of other photos you like if applicable. This will also help ensure you are comfortable with your photographer and relaxed at the time of your session. If you’re uncomfortable, meet with another photographer until you like. Find out how much time is allotted for a family portrait session at the studio you select, look at backgrounds or settings for your session, and discuss your options with the photographer or a member of his staff.

2. Get haircuts, perms or experiment with any new hairstyles for all family members about two weeks prior to your scheduled portrait session. Don't try a new style or look the day of the portrait.

3. Select clothing that will flatter all members of your family. For instance, most people photograph better in long sleeves than short-sleeved or sleeveless tops. Long pants or jeans are usually more flattering than shorts.

4. Coordinate your family’s clothing selections. Solid colors generally photograph much better than patterns, stripes or plaids, and you’ll want to stick to one or two basic colors for a coordinated look. For instance, all family members could wear blue jeans and tops in various shades of blue or khaki pants with white shirts. Both make a great classic casual look. For something more formal, you could opt for a black dress or pantsuit for mom, a black jacket and slacks for dad and black pants and/or skirts for the kids, enhanced by more colorful tops. Shades of blue always work well. So do complimentary greens and/or pinks or even red. Similarly, you could opt for a palette of rich warm colors, such as browns, golds and ivory in lieu of black.

5. Make sure everyone’s clothing is clean, pressed and ready to wear the day before your photo session. Have everyone try on their outfits with shoes. This will help avoid any last minute panic if you notice a missing button, a torn hem, or discover that your son has outgrown his shirt or your daughter doesn’t have shoes that go with the dress you just bought.

When Family Portrait Day Arrives...

1. Be sure everyone gets a good night’s sleep before the day of your photo session. Cranky children greatly complicate the family portrait taking process. So do impatient or stressed-out spouses.

2. Feed everyone before they start to get ready (to avoid stains, mishaps and other potential catastrophes).

3. Be sure everyone has plenty of time to shower, fix their hair, get dressed and do their make-up prior to leaving for your scheduled appointment. Leave early so you will arrive about 10 to 15 minutes prior to your appointment. Trying to rush everything at the last minute is a recipe for disaster.

4. If it is snowing, raining or windy when your family leaves the house for the appointment, be sure to wear boots and/or coats and carry the shoes you will wear for your session along with you. Use umbrellas as necessary. Bring a brush, comb, hairspray, mousse, make-up and/or other styling aids as needed so you can repair hairstyles and make-up once you all get indoors.

5. Stay calm and patient during your family photo session. If the adults stay calm, patient and posed properly, the photographer and/or his assistant are generally quite skilled at getting the kids to join in the fun. The result will be a family portrait you’ll happily hang in your home for years to come.