Should we pose during our session?
This is a question I think I get asked 9/10 times when booking a session! And you may be surprised by my answer... No! Firstly have a look at the image above & think about what you see... I see connection, love, happiness & a beautifully natural moment between a family. Had I asked this family to sit down for a while? Yes! But what I didn't say was now look at the camera... What I suggested was that they interact with each other as they normally would, play silly games, laugh at each other, cuddle & kiss one another & this is the result a truly magical moment that is 100% natural and meaningful!
Now I know there is a preconceived idea that we all must look at the camera & smile to get a nice photo at a paid photography session & yes it's totally fine & we will capture those moments too, buuuuut what I do find is once you relax & let go of that idea we get so much more out of the images, we capture you as a family being exactly who you are & your little ones showing their personalities on that day doing what they want to do, which is moments to cherish forever!
The funny thing is almost all of my clients come back to me after a session and say OMG those natural ones are amazing, you were totally right! When I first started out I did have a few family & friends who didn't quite understand what I was on about with these natural images and shouldn't we be looking at the camera?? Now they actively look at my socials looking for those natural images and can't stop loving on them!
Now you may ask why I'm going on about not posing & why I decided to base my family sessions on not posing as much as possible, because I myself have been the one to do posed photos & you know what? I hated the experience I felt like I had paid a lot of money to be somebody I'm not (I personally hate looking at the camera), to then have photos that don't look like me or my children & who they are, but photos that lets be honest my next door neighbour could have taken with their phone. Anyone can get a camera out, get their subject to stand/sit still, say the age old phrase "cheese" & presto you have a photo... but can they capture the moments, the real family & their personalities, do they know what moments to capture that capture connection & love?
So on my family sessions I may ask you to sit down, play games, tickle each other or walk towards me, these are prompts, but what I will also say is now don't look at me look at each other, laugh & play as I stand back & capture the connections, love & true personalities of you & your family!
So let me be the awkward one behind the camera dancing around or asking silly questions to get the vibe going & let's throw out the age old notion of smiling & saying "cheese" & have some fun creating the story of your family! xx
