FAMILY GUIDEbook

WE ARE HERE for CONNECTion

Your number one priority during this time together is connecting with your people. If you mentally prioritize the time as one to have fun together - your pictures will be magic.

Especially when working with kiddos who sometimes smile and sometimes lose their shit completely - it’s important that you don’t. Smile through the tantrum (it will happen). Smile through the snot and the fact that it never goes how you expect it to go.

Just don’t smile right at me unless I tell you to. You’ve seen my photos and know that’s not what we are here to make. We are here to capture joy, not cheese. Smile at those babies. Smile at your person. Even if they don’t listen to you.

BRIBES ARE GOOD. BRIBES ARE GREAT. PLEASE, BRIBE.

There is an art to this. Bribes need to be in-the-moment and often continuous. The ‘we will go to the toy store later’ never seems to work. The ‘bear hug me and I’ll give you a gummy bear’ works better.

Bribes should be small and not show in photos i.e. gummy bears, raisins, yogurt melts

Bribes should NOT BE BIG AND MESSY i.e. oreos, crackers, lollipops

I say all this with 10 years of experience shooting kids. Please heed my warnings. I beg you. I have a trick or two up my sleeve but I’m not sugar so I can only do so much.

how to prep your home

declutter - clutter distracts from the heart of a photograph. I won't notice if you vacuum, but if you can keep extra toys or excess clutter tucked in a separate bedroom or closet while I am there, it will keep your images clean.

window light only - turn off all the artificial lighting! we will only be working with window light

open the shades - since we want only window light, we need as much of it as possible! have all the shades open as much as they can be.

WHAT do we wear?

personality. texture. denims. layers. wear something you wear everyday or something you would never actually wear in real life. whatever you want.

things that are on my hell-no list. tucked in shirts look like you are going golfing or going into the office. stiff collared shirts have the same vibe. men wearing shorts looks golf course-y. athletic fabrics are a no-no (nike pullovers etc)

black is the most difficult to photograph bc the dark color doesn’t allow to see texture or shape.

getting hair and make up done can feel like you’re being extra but always photographs amazing.

skin is beautiful. clavicle bones and shoulders and necks and legs are so photogenic. cleavage is always a little too much. its the balance between intimate vs. sexy

bloomers! if you have a little girly in a dress with a diaper underneath - throw some bloomers over it so we don’t end up with a diaper ad. for whatever reason, a blue pee line just doesn’t photograph adorably

EMBRACE THE BEAUTY IN YOUR FAMILY

we aren’t here to get a really cool instagram photo with like so many likes or to make it look like life is perfect. we are here to capture the beauty in what real life looks like. the imperfections. the chaos. does your son squirm constantly? roll with it. is your baby hungry? lets feed her. the more we roll with it, the more your photos are yours.

i will absolutely give guidance 100% of the way (everyone is awkward in front of the camera, i promise it’s not just you) so we will find our mix of bribing them to go where we want them to go (lighting!) and then engaging them from there (playfulness!) and doing what they want to do from there (rolling with it!)

payment is due the day of the shoot and delayed payments will result in delayed gallery delivery. gallery will be sent 3 weeks after payment.

please be on time and ready so we don’t have time lost from our hour together

clients who cancel within one week of the scheduled shoot date, where it was a preventable last-minute cancellation, will not get re-booked (ever)