When photographing families, I find that two comments are made at nearly every session – “I hope we got one good shot.” and “Sorry, they weren’t smiling/weren’t acting the best.” My answer to those two comments has been nearly the same for the last 10-plus years.

“I hope we got one good shot.” You only need five good images. (Don’t worry, you will always have more!) What do I mean by this? Well, think of your home or social media – do you ever post more than 5 images or print more than 5 pictures for your wall? In some cases, yes though in most you’ll find that 5 is the perfect number for printing or posting. So when you are in the middle of your session, remember you only need 5 images – the rest are all a bonus. The amount of stress that leaves your body when you think of your session in that way is significant because we can always get you five great images (plus many, many more!).

“Sorry, they weren’t smiling/weren’t acting the best.” I have three children, if even one smiles it is a Christmas miracle and the amount of bribes that go into getting them to even be in front of a camera is substantial. Do not stress, I know exactly what you are experiencing. I like to start my sessions by just having you playing with your babies, midway through we add a snack, a toy or two, and me acting a fool and there is a high chance we will get that all-together, all-looking, all-smiling photo. There is always a chance that we won’t get that smile and that is frustrating but it is also okay. My main focus is to document you and your family, just love your babies, and be present in the moment with them – I’ll do the rest.