So John's parents came to visit on their way through from Melbourne to Sydney this weekend.
Of course, like any good 'Mom Tog', I took photos of my babies with their grandparents.. or, at least, I tried to.
I thought, what better way to help families set expectations for their upcoming session than to share my own children and their mini shoot with their grandparents!
It actually started at home, with outfit selections. Like a lot of kids, Brooklyn is very particular about how a fabric feels on his skin, which doesn't leave us very many options when it comes to dressing him 'nicely'. After picking out an outfit for him, he explained that the shorts were too heavy and felt funny around his waist, the shirt was "okay" but the vest was too tight. Making Brooklyn wear the outfit would do more than just cause tears. He has sensory issues. A normal shirt for one child can feel rough and 'scratchy' to Brooklyn, so we let him wear what feels comfortable.
Which, on this particular evening, was his Melbourne Storm shorts and a t-shirt.
The photographer in me was almost in tears, but the Momma who wanted photographs of her babies with their Pa and Grandma, she didn't really mind.
We did the good old 'if you can listen well tonight, we'll have McDonalds for dinner', as you do..
and it was completely unsuccessful.. as it usually is with our children.
Here's the thing..
I've gotten pretty good at taking photos.. but if your kids aren't into it.. no amount of duck spotting or editing can hide it.
We don't cap our sessions, in terms of how many images are delivered in our couples' and families' final galleries.
Sessions are about 90 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how everyone's enjoying the session (so if we have a hungry baby 90 minutes in, we'll end the session there) and yield anything from 40 to 150 deliverable images, give or take.
Any shots where eyes are shut, it looks unflattering, someone's not ready.. they're immediately culled.
I don't deliver anything that makes me cringe when I see it.. but I will still deliver an image like the one above.. because that's the reality of a family photo with small children (and some teens.. and fiancés 😂).. I won't ever blog a photo like this (not of another family anyway!) but it will still be delivered in the final gallery for that family to have for a bit of a giggle.
Our family session package has a beautiful family album included. That album alone holds around 40 images.
We share all the final, edited, images in an online gallery which allows you to download your images as many times as you like, to as many different devices as you like.
Then, of course, you have the option of big beautiful canvases, framed prints and additional albums.
Every family session which I have ever delivered, in my four years of working as a photographer, has resulted in an email or phone call, "I can't believe how many great images you got!".. John's mum even made the same comment after she saw their own gallery with the grandkids!
Yes, family sessions aren't really how they seem on your Pinterest board.
Trust me! Those photographers worked their butts off and those parents were probably promising everything under the sun.
With our family sessions, whether they're for our own family or not, we always start with "let's take a walk down here!".. "let's see if we can spot some birds!". Kids just KNOW when they're in a situation that is not going to be fun.. and let's face it, not too many children love being followed around by a stranger with a camera.
We do what we can so it's not scary or boring for them.
John and I take about 10 minutes at the start of a session to just chat and get to know the kids.
"Who's the highest jumper?.. You?!.. Nooo way!!! Show us!" "Who gives the tightest cuddles? You both do?! Why don't you give mummy your tightest cuddle and I'll take a photo so we can pick the winner?!" And, of course, there's the odd round of 'catch-me-if-you-can'.. and, if you're lucky, a dog and their 'person' might even walk by!
If your children are like ours, they also don't really give a rats about your rules when Grandma and Pa are around.
Whenever my parents or John's parents are around, all ideas of manners, common courtesy and any boundaries we've set in place go flying out the window and it's the 'Havanah & Brooklyn Show.. starring Carter' - don't worry, our parents are all very well aware of the situation!
So if you're thinking of involving grandparents in your next family session (and your children are much like ours.. and most of the children across the country) don't stress!
Maybe ask your parents before hand, "if the kids get out of hand, can you reign it in a little for us.. they listen to you guys". But keep in mind that they are who they are. Sometimes the best moments are the ones that aren't planned.
We will always go above and beyond to get the group shot.
The shot where everyone is perfectly together, looking at the camera and hopefully giving their most genuine smile. But when you're working with small kids, that shot might be a little more like pulling teeth.
Take the following group shots for example.
You'll notice we're a child short in the first one. Brooklyn was NOT having a bar of it. The grass was scratchy. "Why don't you sit on Pa's lap?!" "But Carter's touching me!" It literally turned into tears.
The second one? Two children short. Carter was all about a bottle.. that we didn't bring.
The third one was a reach but we were cutting it close and we weren't going for a trifecta.
John was sitting on a rock wall settling the boys so I thought, ok, here's what we're going to do..
"Everyone sit on the rocks!.. try get in close.. looking at Mommy's camera!.. onnnne.. twooooooo.. THREEEEE!!!"
But, because I know that this is how ALL of our sessions will routinely go,
Some of the first shots I take are of everyone just standing together.
There's not much to it.
It's a quick, "why don't we just group everyone together here for a quick snap before taking a walk through the park!"
The kids get to give their biggest smiles and you can go through the rest of the session knowing that you have at least a handful of group shots if the rest of the session doesn't go as planned.. which is more often than not.
Don't get me wrong!
Family sessions are fun and the shots are always beautiful! But they will NEVER go as planned, promise!
We tell our families, "Don't have expectations of how your family should perform.. just have fun!"
To this day, we've never had a family not have fun during a session and never had a mother not change both her Facebook cover photo and profile photo immediately after receiving her family's gallery - or a 'Pa'!
Photography has become so important to John and I because it's all you have left when those moments are gone.
If the loss of so many loved ones over the years hasn't taught us, it's our experience in the NICU that really cemented that feeling of wanting to give people an album full of beautiful memories to forever cherish.
Life is so precious and way too short. Spend it making memories with the people you love.
Comments