YAY! So you have secured a spot for a mini shoot!


Wahoo! I am so excited to be doing this session with you! Below are a few pointers to help you prepare yourself and family for the shoot. If you have got this far, I am sure, you know that I do not work in a studio but out in the wild!!!

I use a style called "unposed" some of the shots we will stage and I will help you get the right angles and positions, but for some, I will get you to interact with me and each other, play games, tell me stories (for parents of young kids, you may be dancing or singing... be warned) all of this aims to elicit genuine, natural laughter and delight from you all. The best advice I can give is to RELAX, bring your love of your family, try and have fun. It is not your responsibility to make your family look good in images, that is mine and I will work super hard to do that.

Timeframe

Please arrive a little early for your session, as we are doing these all back to back there will be just a few minutes of turnaround and if you are late unfortunately it will eat into your session time.


Location

We will be meeting at the bottom of Hamilton Gardens Gate 2. This is NOT the roundabout exit, please drive all the way to the bottom. Depending on time of day and what else is going on this allows us to use the rhododendron lawn as well as the rose gardens and fields. Also if you have super young kids, the playground is right there! Win

Outfits and personal presentation:

So family outfits, try and have them non-clashing and something that reflects you guys. If you are into pastels that is great, if you favour darker colours also great but try to avoid vividly patterned or clashing clothes where possible. Depending on how many people there are, it is worth potentially laying out your outfits the night before on a bed or floor and seeing how they match together.

If you have people involved who are already resentful or grumpy about doing the shoot (teenage boys often fit in this category...), I would recommend not forcing them into clothes they reserve for weddings and funerals or clothes they hate. They may look good but will feel awkward and be even grumpier and that will show in the images! If you can find a middle ground where everyone is comfy but not in board shorts/stubbies and a singlet that would be fab (as a side note I would also 100% recommend bribing reluctant members somehow), anyway chinos or jeans and a T-shirt is completely fine. At the end of the day, the main thing is for everyone to feel comfortable and good about yourselves!

If there are young daughters involved in the shoot, be aware that dresses and skirts do NOT stay in place in photoshoots so if you have bike shorts or leggings they may be a great idea for underneath if you want girls in dresses, this allows all the jumping, running and sitting on the ground you like without worrying about anything.

For adult women, if you have the chance it can be really nice to consider either getting your makeup done professionally or doing it yourself if you have the skills. This is not a necessity, however, getting your makeup professionally done does provide vibrant yet natural images without looking like you have makeup caked on. We have a bunch we recommend here in Hamilton so if you would like some recommendations just let me know.


Special occasion or extra "things"

I couldn't really figure how to title this, but if you are doing this for a reason eg. Pregnancy announcement, engagement session, planning a proposal, birthday or anything else a bit specific. PLEASE let me know in advance, we can then have a chat about if there are any specific things you want to bring/include and how I can best help make it work for you!


I honestly can't wait to see you all!

Please stay in touch and let me know if I can help in any way in the lead up!


Hannah x