Wonder What It's Like to Work With Me?? BTS with a South Florida Children's Photographer

There are many factors that go into selecting a photographer. I'm hearing more and more that the photographer's personality is one of the most important factors, which makes sense because that goes for just about anyone you hire. So, I'd like to try and give you an idea of what it's like to work with me on a family or children's portrait session. During our first phone conversation, yes I like to talk to you on the phone, we'll talk about the following...

I always try to capture the quintessential posed family portraits but I also like to capture candid images of the person/people involved so the pictures tell the story of who that person/people are at that time in their lives. If you have any particular images or people together you would like to capture please let me know so I’m sure we take those photographs.

Did you have a chance to look at my website? Were there any images in particular that stood out to you?

How many people to be photographed?

Names of people along with ages of children

What are some of the things you like to do together as a family? Read, cook, play games, pool, play sports

What do the children like to do? Do they play any sports/dance/gymnastics/artistic?

The best time to photograph is the time of day when everyone is happiest and won’t feel rushed. The best light is the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset.

Did you have a location in mind? If not I can suggest a few beautiful places.

Have you thought about what you will wear? I would love to come over to see what we can use from your closet and if you'd like to purchase something new I can make recommendations from current store offerings.

What are you thinking about doing with your pictures? Where would you like to display them?

Let's select a date for the portrait session and for the image premiere where you'll view your images.

Of course I ask if they have any questions but after that conversation I have a good idea of where we're going with the session. I ask for payment upon booking so I email an invoice that can be paid online as well as the session agreement (so everyone knows what to expect) to be signed and returned to me.

Prior to the session I email and text with the client to make sure everything is going as planned and they have the wardrobe selected. I check the weather close to the session date to make sure it's not supposed to rain. If I haven't been to the location before I always visit the site to make a mental list of photographs I plan to take. I think about what props I'll use and consider if I'd like to buy any additional props. I review my Pinterest boards with photography inspiration and my own favorite photographs. I check to make sure my equipment is all set and ready to go. The day before the session I call or text to let the client know how excited I am about their session and confirm time and meeting spot.

The day of the shoot I always arrive a bout 30 mins early to get set up. Once the family arrives that's when the fun starts! Small children sometimes need some time to get comfortable so I like to play with them a bit before starting to photograph. It usually just takes a couple minutes and then we're off. I'll guide the client in posing and then I'll have the family or children do different activities together. Oh and I'm not above bribery. I usually bring a treat to motivate the kids to play my games.

My number one piece of advice is for parents to tell children that they're going to meet a new friend and have a play date. Don't make it about pictures. Please don't tell the child to smile or say cheese. Many times small children don't know how to smile on command and end up making really strange expressions. Plus if they're having a good time as opposed to smiling on command, their eyes will sparkle with joy which is what we really want. So we'll play and have a great time and I'll capture beautiful pictures while we're at it.

About 1-2 weeks after the portrait session I'll come to your house with my laptop for the Image Premiere so you can view the pictures on my color calibrated screen. I always like to make sure people are seeing the same thing I am. We'll hang out for a bit to select your favorite images and decide how you'll display them. I'll then order the products we decide on and deliver them to you within a couple of weeks. That's how easy it is to create beautiful memories of your family. I swear it's fun!