Toledo Family Photographer

Cynthia is a Toledo Family Photographer. She photographs on-location candid and emotive photography and serves the Toledo, Sylvania, Maumee, Holland, Perrysburg, Oregon, and Northwest Ohio areas. Cynthia is available for maternity, newborn, baby, children and family portraits and lifestyle photo sessions.

How to prepare for your family photo session

I know that preparing for a family photo session can be brutal. From making sure you have coordinating outfits that the kids don’t rub dirt on two minutes after you dress them to praying they behave long enough for one decent photo; I’m sharing a few ways to make the whole process so much easier.

Choose the right outfits

It all starts with your wardrobe. I suggest choosing a color palette first and then deciding on specific pieces. You can choose colors based on the location where we will be shooting, the colors in your home where your images will displayed, or colors that look the best on you and your family.

Once you have your color palette, now you can choose your wardrobe. All my clients have access to my online styling service that makes this part of the process so easy! You can see different outfits and accessories together before even purchasing anything. The best part, all options are photo-approved and will look great in your images!

Some of my favorite stores for photo-worthy clothing options are H&M, Zara, Baltic Born, Joyfolie, and Etsy.

Give yourself plenty of time to get ready

My family just had a photo session and I felt like I was training for an Olympic event! There is so much that has to be timed perfectly because if you dress your kids too early, chances are their outfit will wind up with some stain.

Try to have everyone’s clothes laid out, along with any shoes or accessories, and ready to be put on just before you need to leave. That way maybe dad can take control of dressing the kids, while you finish your hair or makeup.

Be sure to add a buffer to your “getting ready” time, especially if you have more than two kiddos to dress.

Arrive early

It’s always a good idea to try and arrive at least 10 minutes early to our session location. This will allow for any last-minute finishing touches to outfits to or a quick bathroom trip may be needed by someone (probably the one with the smallest bladder). This also gives us a little head start and will allow the kids to open up to me just a little bit faster.

Try not to scold the kids

Some kids, mine especially, may go a little wild at some point during our time together. That’s okay! In fact, I expect it. I know you want them to behave but please keep in mind that the goal of this session is to capture their personality and connection with you.

For some kiddos, if you scold them in front of me, they will shut down and that will make the rest of the session very difficult. As long as they aren’t hurting anyone, go with the crazy. This is when we can have lots of fun running and chasing them. Then when they wear themselves out, we can move on to the more relaxed images.

Trust me

This is a big one! There definitely needs to trust from you that I will capture images that you will love. Family sessions are fast-paced and in the end you may wonder if I even got any “good” photos. Know that I didn’t get just a few good ones, but lots of them!

The images I create for you will have you falling in love with your family all over again whenever you look at them. They will transport you back to this time together and will allow your love and connection to take center stage.

I hope these tips will help you in preparing for your next family photo session. Did I miss somthing that you have found helpful? Let me know in the comments!

Do you want similar images of your family? Contact Cynthia today to make sure you can reserve your due date with her.