5 Tips For Getting Your Best Family Photos

Photos by London Adelaide Photography

Few things evoke more simultaneous excitement and dread than planning for family photos. After it's all said and done, you get to bask in the glow of your children's smiles captured on film forever. But it's the getting there that's hard. Planning outfits, picking a location, choosing the right family photographer...and, of course, stressing over whether or not your kids will actually cooperate and smile on cue. It's a lot to take on. Hopefully this post will help your family photo process feel a lot easier!

This year I pushed the 'Easy Button' by turning over the keys to the car and letting London Adelaide Photography take the wheel on everything. We booked their Signature Session package, letting Ashley and Emily handle all of the hard stuff and make it as easy for me (the stressed out, I-have-it-all-to-do mom) as possible. They delivered outfit options right to my front door, booked my spray tan, and scheduled professional hair and makeup to be done on the day of the shoot AT MY HOUSE! I got beautified while Harlow napped. It was the best-case scenario all around!

Ashley and Emily are both moms so they understand just how challenging it can be to plan out family photos from start to finish. They help you pick the location, provide wardrobe for the whole family, book mama's beauty services, bring kid-friendly snacks to the shoot...they truly think of everything.

Scroll down to read my five tips for getting the most out of your family photo shoot and how London Adelaide Photography helps you check each box!

London Adelaide Photography's Signature Session is a full-service, think-of-everything experience that busy families will LOVE. (Full list of details HERE). Here are five ways they help support their clients through the whole process, from planning out the details of the shoot to the actual day, to ensure you get the most out of your family photo session.

They help you...

1 | Find your inspiration.

Before you make any choices, you need to figure out the vibe of the photos you ultimately want to get. Candid, posed, portraits...a mix of all of the above. Do some digging yourself and start a secret Pinterest board of some photos that inspire you, including various poses, shot types, etc. London Adelaide works with you to articulate these preferences before you choose your location and wardrobe to be sure your vision comes to fruition.

Just remember: every photographer's work is different and each one brings their own talents to the table. Don't get hung up on replicating a photo you saw on social media. Figure out what you like about it and then recreate your own version.

*It's important that you choose the right photographers for the look you want. View a photographer's portfolio or Instagram feed to get a feel for their style. There's a big difference between light and airy photos, and dark and moody. If you're not a match from the beginning, you'll never get the photos you want.

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2 | Choose your season and location carefully.

Time of year and time of day majorly impact your photos. Spring and fall's natural color provide a beautiful backdrop for your family photos. (Fall is also a great time to get your Christmas and holiday card photo taken, which we did!) Regardless of the season, the time of day you take photos is critical to getting the right light. You do NOT want direct, bright light or else you'll be washed out with shadows galore.

Early in the morning or during "golden hour" (the glowing time before sunset) is ideal. London Adelaide offered us several days and time slots to choose from to get the best lighting, and to work around our busy schedule. We chose late afternoon as the sun was setting behind the trees and you can see how beautifully that turned out!

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3 | Coordinate your ideal family wardrobe.

Deciding what to wear yourself and then coordinating everyone else's outfits around yours is the biggest cause of gray hairs for us mamas. London Adelaide gives your entire family access to their studio wardrobe so you don't have to shop 'til you drop finding the perfect, coordinated outfits. In their preliminary questionnaire, you describe your personal style (including likes, dislikes, sizes, color preferences, etc.) and they pull options for you. They constantly rotate their styles and even order new pieces to make sure your options are up your alley, and so you're not twinning with their other clients.

Prior to our session, London Adelaide dropped off around 10 dresses for me to try in the comfort of my own home. I made my selection, then chose Harlow's dress from their kids collection, as well as Mike's shirt. (Men usually wear their own jeans or khaki chinos to the shoot.)

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4 | Make it a fun experience for your kids.

Kids are the rogue integer in the whole photo taking equation. You never know what mood or cooperation level you're going to get. The fact that Ashley and Emily are moms helps tremendously because they know what to offer, and they show so much grace when the going gets tough during the shoot. In their preliminary questionnaire, they ask what your favorite snacks are and have them on hand during the shoot! Hangry meltdown: avoided.

It's also a huge plus to have two photographers on location at once; that way you get more photos and have an extra helping hand. For example, Harlow was in a good mood and loved playing in the field by herself for awhile. Emily took advantage of that mood and opportunity by taking all of Harlow's solo pics while Ashley took some of Mike and me. We got more photos in a shorter amount of time.

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5 | Get the right shots and photo orientations for framing.

London Adelaide goes the extra step by asking what photo orientation and sizes you prefer for your gallery wall or tabletop frames. That way they can shoot and edit the photos just the way you want! If you have a certain pose or group shot in mind, submit a list of priority photos before the day of the shoot so they know which ones are most important to you. Then, on the actual shoot day, ask to see a few photo previews of those shots to be sure you like what you see. If not, try again! They want you to be as happy as possible with your experience and photo gallery.

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I cannot recommend London Adelaide enough, both for their gorgeous photography, and for their pampering experience. Having done it both ways -- planning everything myself versus having them do it for me -- I can't imagine ever taking on that much stress again.

We cannot wait to fill our gallery walls with these beautiful photos of our family!

Thank you so much for spending part of your day here with me!

xxBrooke

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Thank you to London Adelaide for sponsoring this post. In exchange for our photo session I agreed to share my honest thoughts and opinions on our experience. I am truly blown away by the whole London Adelaide process and their photography, and am honored they asked my family and I to collaborate with them.