Helloo and welcome to another installment of the “But Brooke…” series, in which we address what’s realllly on your mind when you’re thinkin about hiring a photographer.
Your kids. What they’re going to do, or not do, during a session. Let me guess, your kids don’t love sitting still and listening to adults boss them around? Hm. What’s that? They don’t smile on command, or do anything on command for that matter?
But let’s take it one step further–do your kids pee, vomit, cry, and/or scream at photo sessions? Guess what, friend.
ALL of these things have occurred at my photo sessions–and even in the SAME session.
You want to see those photos, right?
You’re looking at ’em. (Full session here.)
I’ll tell you a few secrets.
1- I thrive on the chaos.
I actually get a little nervous when kids listen to me too well. I’m counting on kids to give me their personality, their spontaneity and their spirited selves–it inspires me. So even if it includes tantrums or blank stares, I adore playing off the natural fun kids bring and I don’t try to stifle it.
2- Getting a fabulous photo takes literally less than a second.
I know that kids only have to listen to me or look at me or look like they’re having a great time for a fraction of a second while I press the shutter. Now, is setting everything up so those moments happen at the right second a skill? If you’ve ever tried your hand at capturing blissful loving moments on camera you’re prolly nodding furiously right now. Yes, it only takes a split second–but finessing that split second into existence and capturing it properly with light, motion, emotion, and technical stuuuff all aligned? That’s why dey call me a professional, m’friend.
3- Your job is NOT to make your kids listen to me. (woop!)
That’s right, you’re completely off the hook! You might even have fun at this session huggin and kissin your significant other and your babies. My job is to make sure kids do what I need–and I’ll always tell you if it’s not happening, but really, your job is to show up ready to love and be loved. My job is to get those loving, oozing-with-happiness photos every time, and I do it whether your kids are “angelic” or bouncing off the walls. Pretty sweet deal, right?
WARNING: this only works if you hire a photographer you completely trust, whose work you love, love, love. This means you’ll have to have looked at the photographer’s work more than a session or two. This also means you need to be willing to go along with every crazy idea your photographer presents, for best results. For more about what your photographer wishes you knew before your photo session, snag my free guide via email here.
Alright, let’s finish it off with the other secret weapon:
Having your session at home.
Home means your kids are more comfy. They get all sorts of excited to show me their space, their toys, their world. But through the most cynical lens, home is also an enclosed space, wink. So even if your kids are bouncing off the walls, we can still make lovely photos mid-bounce because there’s less chasing-around-the-open-field happening.
So, here’s the part where I wrap it up with a sales pitch because I absolutely want to shoot your clan of favorite humans no matter how crazy, wild, or weird–in fact, the weirder, the better. 🙂 If you’re interested in a family shoot, let’s chat about your family photo session.
