A session with your loved ones in front of a lens can raise a range of emotions. Stress. Discomfort. Anxiety. Irritation. Nervousness.
The list goes on.
I’m of the belief that a session in front of any camera should make you feel as at home as a Sunday morning with your family, complete with a pancake breakfast and a hot cup of coffee. This leads us to the first step in creating a session that is as natural for you and your loved ones as possible.
1 Location Is Everything
While my idea of a stress-free environment may be a pancake breakfast on a Sunday morning with my daughter and partner, it very well might not be yours. For you, it could elicit feelings of stress for the havoc your child is about to wreak on your kitchen floor. It could stir arguments between your children about who gets the last pancake. It could be the exact opposite of a natural, stress-free environment, which is what we want to avoid when planning a session.
2 Plan an activity
This is especially handy if you have young children.
Planning an activity for the session will help keep everyone entertained. Not only is it helpful in helping stress low, it helps capture the candid in-between moments that make for the most beautiful shots.
Instead, think of the environment that brings you and your loved ones joy. The one that has you release that breath you’ve been holding in. Whether this is your home, your local café, that wonderful park you venture to every afternoon for a walk. Find the place that oozes warmth, comfort and calm.
A few special ideas include:
+ Exploring at the beach
+ Your favourite walk in nature
+ Your Saturday morning routine
+ Bath time
+ Swimming
+ Blowing bubbles
+ Reading
+ Arts and crafts
+ Cooking
3 Let Go Of Expectation
Or try as best you can.
The reality of any session is that you can’t control how things are going to go on the day. You can choose your perfect location. You can plan the activity. You can wake up in the best, calmest frame of mind and things can still come up.
That’s just how life works, which is why we learn how to work around it.
Often, the magic actually happens when things don’t go to plan or we have to work around imperfectly behaving children. It tells the story of how things are for you and your loved ones right now, in all of its imperfect perfection.
It goes a long way to let go of all expectations, enjoy the moment and know that the end result will reflect your family as they are now.
And that is a beautiful thing.
It you want to capture you and your loved ones in a (mostly) stress-free session, find out more about what a session includes or get in touch to book now.
