Things You'll Need:
- Patience
- A Plan
-
Step 1
Get Prepared. Look up professional photography studios in your area. Decide if you are going to go to a private studio or a retail chain. Both are good options, but the retail chains bulk up staff during holiday season, so try to schedule during a weekday in order to get a more experienced photographer. Once you've decided on a studio go to their website. Check out special pricing and any advice pages they have.
-
Step 2
Get the family prepared. Special treats for the kids afterwards. Bribe them. It works. Save the cute holiday dresses and suits for the kid's solo pictures. For group pictures it's best to stay in the same color zone. Reds or Greens or Whites or Blacks usually. Know what you want going in. A family picture will most likely not look good with a scenic background, go for solid color. Coordinate it with your clothing. Black with black can be good in a modern style throw a couple poinsettias in. White with white probably wont work. Red works best with black background and green will work with either.
-
Step 3
Show up AT LEAST 15 minutes early. With or without an appointment you may have to wait. Be patient. They are likely to be extremely busy and it is a positive sign that they are taking time with their customers. Most retail studios require appts to be booked every 15 minutes regardless of if they can handle it. It's a ridiculous rule that they are forced to follow. The best thing to do is to come prepared for this. Change of clothes, shout wipes, baby bottles, juice boxes, snacks, wipes(even if there isn't an infant you'll need these,) touch up make-up, a brush, etc.
-
Step 4
Most importantly, let the photographer do his job. They are trained to handle kids and even infants. All they have to do is get that perfect look for 1 millisecond to get the perfect picture. Most times when parents try to help, or bring grandma in to help, they only get in the way. Kids are looking off to the side at grandma instead of the camera. They have multiple techniques to use and if all fails they may ask grandma for help. Most the time they just want you to let them do their job.
