How to Prepare Your Family for a Photo Session

Pick the Right Time of Day

I shoot during golden hour — the last 60–90 minutes before sunset. The light is warm, soft, and forgiving. It makes everyone's skin look amazing and gives us that gorgeous glow that studio lighting just can't replicate.

For Michigan, that means session start times shift with the seasons. Summer sessions might start at 7 PM, while fall sessions begin around 5:30 PM. I'll give you the exact time when we book — it's calculated based on sunset for your specific date and location.

Schedule Around Your Kids

This is the single most important piece of advice I give families: work around nap time, not against it. A well-rested toddler is a cooperative toddler. An overtired toddler is a tearful, clinging-to-mom, refusing-to-look-at-the-camera tornado.

For babies and toddlers under 3, make sure nap time happens at its normal time earlier in the day. Feed them a good meal or snack before we start. A hungry or tired child will shut down fast, and no amount of silly faces from me will fix it.

For school-age kids, avoid scheduling right after a full day of activities, sports practice, or a long car ride. They need a little downtime buffer before being asked to smile for an hour.

Outfit Planning Made Easy

Coordinate, don't match. Pick a color palette of 3–4 complementary colors and let each person choose something they feel comfortable in within that range. Comfort matters — if your daughter hates that dress, she'll look miserable in every photo no matter how cute the dress is.

Start with the hardest person to dress and build everyone else around them. If your toddler only wears that one pair of overalls, great — use that as your anchor piece and coordinate the family around it.

Lay everything out the night before. Try it all on. Take a photo of the outfits laid together on the bed. If it looks good on your phone screen, it'll look good in the portraits.

Set the Right Expectations

The biggest mistake families make is expecting perfection. They want everyone looking at the camera, smiling naturally, at the same time. That's a beautiful goal, and we will absolutely get those shots — but the magic often happens in between.

Some of my favorite family photos are the ones where the toddler is climbing on dad, the teenager is laughing at something the baby did, and mom is making a face at all of it. Those are the photos you'll actually hang on your wall because they feel like your real life.

Tell your family it's going to be a hang-out session, not a "stand still and smile" thing. I bring good music, I crack jokes, I give you things to do together. It should feel more like a walk in the park than a photo shoot.

The Toddler Survival Guide

I've photographed hundreds of toddlers. I know the drill. They don't want to sit still, they don't want to look at me, and they definitely don't want to smile on command. And that's completely fine — I work with it, not against it.

Bring snacks. Goldfish crackers, fruit snacks, whatever their currency is. We'll use them strategically between setups to reset their mood. Bring a favorite small toy or stuffed animal. Sometimes holding something familiar is all they need to feel comfortable.

Let them explore. Some of my best toddler shots happen when they're picking up sticks, chasing a bug, or running ahead on the trail. I'm fast, my camera is fast, and those candid moments often end up being the family favorites.

Getting Teenagers on Board

Teenagers who say they don't want to be there usually end up having the most fun. The key is not forcing it. Don't make it a battle before you even show up — just tell them it'll be quick, it'll be outside, and they can wear whatever they want (within the color palette, of course).

I talk to teenagers like people, not props. I ask about their music, their sports, their friends. Once they realize I'm not going to make them do awkward poses or say "cheese," they relax. By the end, most of them are genuinely laughing.

Let them bring headphones for the drive. Let them pick the music during the session. Give them a little ownership over the experience and their attitude shifts completely.

Bringing the Family Pet

Yes, absolutely bring the dog. Pets are family. But plan for it — bring someone who can hold the leash when the dog isn't in the shot, bring treats for cooperation, and accept that the dog photos will be chaotic and wonderful.

I usually do pet photos first while everyone's energy is fresh, then let the dog-handler take them for a walk while we do the rest of the session. That way the dog isn't getting restless during the family-only poses.

The Morning & Afternoon Of

Keep the day calm. Don't schedule anything stressful before the session. If you're running around doing errands, fighting traffic, and scrambling to get dressed, that stress will show up in your photos. Give yourself a buffer.

Feed the kids early enough that they're not hungry but not so early that they'll be starving by the time we wrap. Pack water bottles and snacks in the car for after.

Do hair and makeup with enough time to spare that you're not rushing. For mom — if you want professional hair and makeup, I can recommend local stylists who work with my timeline. For kids, just make sure their hair is brushed and their faces are clean. That's it.

What Happens During the Session

When you arrive, we'll say hi, I'll look at everyone's outfits, and we'll start walking. I don't do a lot of standing-in-one-spot posing. I'll give you prompts — walk together, tickle the kids, whisper something funny to each other, race to that tree. The photos come from the real reactions to real interactions.

We'll do a mix of the whole family together, smaller groupings (siblings, parents-only, each parent with each kid), and individual shots if you want them. I'll guide every second of it — you don't need to worry about what to do with your hands or where to look.

The whole session takes about 60 minutes for a full session or 25 minutes for a mini. It goes fast. Most families are surprised when I say we're done because it felt like we just started.

After the Session

Your private online gallery will be ready within 2–3 weeks. You'll get an email with a link and password. From there, you can view every image, mark your favorites, download your files, share with family, and order prints and products directly.

I edit every single image by hand — skin tones, lighting, color, and that signature warm bella vita look. What you see in the gallery is the finished product, ready to print and frame.

Most families can't narrow down their favorites and end up ordering more than they planned. I take that as the highest compliment.