5 Reasons you’ve been putting off booking family photos

And that doesn’t just include planning the session but also fitting it into your busy schedules with work, childcare, and after-school activties.

So what if I told you that you could get beautiful photos of your family without preparing anything, without making room in your week to go somewhere pretty, and without having to dress up your kids in outfits that look good on photos but you know your kids will trash in seconds?

Because that’s 100% possible!

With my style of photography, all you need to do is tell me when and where to meet you and I’ll document what it is that you do. I can join you for school pick-ups, dinner preps, bedtime routines, arts and crafts on the weekend… Whatever it is that you would love to look back on in photos, can be photographed. Nobody needs to dress up, nobody needs to be on their best behaviour, your house doesn’t need to be clean and you don’t need to lug your family to a random place for sunset.

So really, there shouldn’t be any prep work for you to add to your busy schedule just to have some meaningful family photos. In fact, my clients have mentioned how wonderful it was to spend a few undisturbed hours with their kids while I was around, doing things they all enjoy doing together.

Being photographed by a stranger is not something a lot of people are comfortable with. There can be so much anxiety around this from “How does the booking work?” to “What will the photos look like?“ and “What if I don’t like the images in the end?”.

All of these things can be addressed through research and communication. Search the internet for photographers near you and pay attention to things like:

• Do you like the work they show on their website and socials?
• Where are they based?
• Where do they work? Do they take families to a park, a studio or do they photograph in family homes?
• How much do they charge? Is there an all-inclusive fee (you pay up front for the session and photos) or do they charge a session fee and let you choose the images later?
• How much do they share about their process?
• How much do they share about themselves? Do you get a good vibe from the person?

These are things you can do in your own time and once you feel like you found someone whose work you like and who you feel you can trust to do a good job, reach out to them. Most photographers offer a free consultation call to address your questions and worries. These calls give both sides an opportunity to see if you’re a good fit and for you to learn how it all works and how much you need to prepare.

And if none of that really eases your anxiety, try practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or visualization to help you stay calm and focused during the session. Talk to your photographer about it and let them know that you’re nervous so they can adjust their approach if needed.

Remember that it’s normal to feel nervous, and your photographer is there to guide you through the process and capture beautiful memories of your family.

Financial concerns can be a significant barrier to booking a family photo session but there are ways to make it all more manageable.

First, do your research! As mentioned above, find a photographer you like the work off and understand their pricing model. Everyone does it differently and not every photographer will be a good fit for you. And that’s ok.

Set a rough budget when you start looking. But, there’s a caveat: You might set a budget that is unrealistic to get the images you want. If that’s the case, ask your photographer for a payment plan. Or maybe there’s an option to only buy some images or a few prints rather than the whole gallery and come back to the rest of the photos later when you saved a bit more money.

Many photographers offer a range of packages to be able to cater to different budgets.

The way my sessions are priced is a small session fee of £150 upfront and you only choose a package of images after you’ve seen the photos edited. These packages start at £325 so while the overall price might sound like a big number, breaking the payments up usually helps my families make that financial commitment.

Ultimately, while cost is certainly a crucial factor, it’s important to remember that family photos are a worthwhile investment in preserving memories that will last a lifetime. By being proactive and exploring different options, you should be able to find a solution that works for your family’s budget.

You want to remember the fun times of your family life – not the hard ones. I totally get that. But trying to create a perfect situation for family photos usually results in chaos.

Kids don’t behave, clothes get dirty, there are tantrums and grumpy moments. We’ve all been there.

Perfection doesn’t exist. And real life is far from our idea of perfection anyway. It’s messy and chaotic and the magic lies in the little moments of connection when we give in to it all.

The beauty of family photos often lies in capturing the genuine moments and personalities of the individuals involved, imperfections and all. It can be helpful to focus on the joy and love that your family shares rather than trying to present a flawless image. By embracing the unique qualities and personalities of your family, you can create truly meaningful and memorable photos.

Let go of the expectations of what you think the world thinks of you. Focus on your little people instead – the fact that you take care of them, love them and spend time together should be far more important than any outside validation.

And if you do have concerns about how you will look in the photos, talk to your photographer about it so they know and can help you navigate that.

Lack of confidence can be another significant reason why you might have put off booking a family photo session in the past. You might feel self-conscious about your appearance or worry that you won’t know how to pose or behave during the session. However, if your’re working with a professional photographer, they know how to guide you and your family through the process, how to make you feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera.

Plus, my style of family photos doesn’t include any posing. Instead, I encourage you to just spend time with your kids while I will find the most flattering angles to photograph your connections.

Something that can help boost your confidence though is wearing clothes that make you feel good about yourself. The same goes for your kids – so if that means someone will wear a superhero costume during the photo session, I encourage you to let them! It’s who they are at this point in their life and rather than trying to change that, support them. That will result in confident human beings that won’t hide from the camera because they don’t feel accepted the way they are.

Expressing your personality has such an impact on how you present yourself and it can make a huge difference in how you appear in photos.

And once you’ve had your photos taken, I encourage you to print your images – small, big, in albums… whatever you prefer. But by having these photos displayed around your house, you can support your children’s self-esteem and confidence growing up. Read more about that here.