what to expect on a location session

here’s what to expect on a location family session on location

Clients who’ve been in my studios for portraits often are unsure what to expect when we take the portrait session outside.

location is important

My first concern is location. I like to work where I know everyone will be comfortable, where the kids will have room to roam (but not too much room to roam), a location where I can do a variety of setups and candids so that you’ll come away from your session with a beautiful mix of portraits that have a consistent look to them—sometimes that's the foliage of a park, sometimes it’s a cityscape in downtown, sometimes it’s architectural details of a familiar building.

When I work with families with very young children I like the location to be fairly small—it’s less overwhelming to the child and it’s much easier for mom and dad to move around a small space than a big one while working to keep the kids engaged and somewhat contained. Spoiler alert: this doesn’t always happen! When I work with families whose children are older the location may involve more walking.

I do a variety of groupings at my family portrait sessions

When I work with families creating groupings is a must—I like to start with the entire family together because it helps young children feel secure and lets us get to know each other. Once the first family portrait is complete I like to do smaller groupings—I call them breakouts—siblings together, mom and dad together, each child alone, mom with the children, dad with the children, each child with each parent, etc. Location sessions allow me to take advantage of what’s naturally occurring—rocks, walls, steps, railings, benches, hills, walkways—as a foundation for various poses. I love finding little spaces within a space to add variety to the portraits we’ll create.

What I wish every family knew when dressing for a location session

It’s 99% likely that your feet will be in at least some of your family portraits so don’t forget to consider your shoes and socks when you select your wardrobe.