1. Pick a location for your family photoshoot to take place that is suitable for year-round and holiday themed photos.
The best locations are ones that allow for timeless photos, in which you can toss a few themed props and wardrobe options, and make it a holiday themed portrait. My top outdoor suggestions would be a local park, field, tree farm or evergreen forest. For indoors, I recommend setting up near your Christmas tree, in front of your decorated fireplace, on your decorated front porch, or in a small DIY photo set in your home (ex: a simple setup of two flooring sheets + mini tree + red sweater = holiday mini setup for small children)
OTTAWA: Fallowfield Farm, Arboretum, Dick Bell Park
GATINEAU: Jacques Cartier Park, Gatineau Park, Moore Farm Estate
2. Schedule at the best time of day for lighting.
Nobody wants sun spots on their face or bags under their eyes, so be sure to schedule your family photoshoot at the optimal time of day for your chosen location. Shooting indoors? Find indirect sunlight to avoid dark shadows. Shooting outdoors? These are your go-to options, always making sure to avoid direct sunlight:
- Full shade during the day
- Anywhere you want on an overcast day
- Backlit during the golden hour
3. Coordinate with a friend or family member to take the photos for you.
Don’t bother with a tripod and timer until your kids are old enough to understand cooperation and bribery. A remote is hard to hide, especially if you have to hold it and wrangle children at the same time, and you can miss great moments by worrying about pressing the button. By having someone else clicking the button, you can get a few candid images in between the posed ones and really capture those real smiles and emotional connections. Very often children like to move, and having an actual person behind the camera means they can follow the subjects and make sure the shutter button is pressed when eyes are looking. This also ensures that the camera is always slightly above eye level—the most flattering angle.
4. Choose your wardrobe and get everything purchased and ready before the day of your planned family photoshoot.
Pick one patterned top or dress, and coordinate the other outfits by pulling one or two colours from the pattern and one neutral tone. Make sure it is weather appropriate if you’ve opted for an outdoor location, and while you may not want to wear jackets in the photos, always bring them and only take them off right before you start. Layers are great for adding some interest to your family portraits, and textures in a few different tones are the perfect way to add variety to your images, without having too many colours. Dressing up in multi-seasonal clothing (not holiday centric outfits) means you can frame one for your home and leave it up all-year round.
IDEAS: https://www.pinterest.ca/purenaturalnewborn/maternity-what-to-wear-inspiration/
5. Plan for pretty props that will make your life easier, not complicate things.
Things that are meant to be sat or stood on will help keep kids in one place, and can help with height differences. Take it to the next level by bringing a fancy chair or small couch, which will also keep everyone in one place.
IDEAS: milk can, wood crate, nice stool, neutral blanket.
6. Bring a few printouts of your inspiration poses to serve as a reminder.
Once you’re in the moment, especially at another location, you can get easily distracted and forget all those images you pinned. Having that visual reference will prevent you from getting frazzled, and bringing along the printouts also allows for you to be able to explain to those involved what you are hoping for.
7. Set proper expectations.
Don’t get your hopes up too high, and focus on capturing your family in the moment rather than getting perfectly posed family portraits, and embrace the candid portraits. You will appreciate the precious moments later on in life when your preteen wants nothing to do with you, and no longer insists on that last hug goodbye before school.
BONUS TIP:
Avoid waiting until the last minute to do the photoshoot, and plan ahead. There is nothing wrong with dressing up in your holiday attire and heading out on a summer or fall evening and getting that task of your to-do list early. This allows you more time to plan the printing process for your holiday cards.
Of course I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t recommend getting your portraits captured professionally, since all that was discussed in this article is second nature to us—and we guide you through it. That being said, sometimes even us pros get a little DIY every once in a while and bribe our moms to click that shutter button once we’ve got the camera settings all ready for them. When my now-husband and I were saving up for the wedding, that’s exactly what we did! The photo below was taken over Thanksgiving weekend, and it made its way onto the front of our Christmas card.
