preparing for your family session!
My philosophy regarding portrait sessions of any kind is to capture the simple moments. If the kids want to explore, let them explore, if they get dirty its ok! If we need to bribe them with ice cream to participate... thats OK too!! They are non-formal, not stressful and capture who you are together, nothing super serious or perfect! Because no one is perfect anyway! If your session is a maternity session with no kids, the same philosophy applies! We will explore, have fun, I will guide you with fun prompts!
Whatever reason it is that we are getting together, just know that I am not so focused on making sure each hair is in place at all times, or fixing every "imperfection" this is real life, and I want it to represent real life! The best shots come from just going with the flow, letting the kids be kids and embrace that while not worrying about the perfection of each moment.
Outdoors, great lighting, cuddles hugs, being playful and tons of laughs is what my main goal is! As a Mom myself I know how incredibly valuable those candid in-between moments are! I want to capture your family, as they are, in this moment!
what to expect?
FULL SESSIONS
No family is the same, so not every family session will take the same amount of time. I shoot until I feel finished and like I got everything I need that will provide you with a good variety in your gallery! If you've booked a full session the average time is about 60 minutes, I find any longer and I loose the kids and everyone kind of checks out. But we can see how it is going on the day and go from there!
We will chat closer to your date about locations and come up with something together that will be great for lighting in the time of year that your session is taking place. We will always shoot at 'golden hour' unless previously chatted about another time. This time of day allows for the absolute best lighting scenario!
All sessions are delivered through an online gallery on average 3-4 weeks after your session. But I always do my best to try and get you a few preview images before your full gallery is completed!
HALF SESSIONS
Half sessions are a maximum of 30 minutes.
We will chat closer to your date about locations and come up with something together that will be great for lighting in the time of year that your session is taking place. We will always shoot at 'golden hour' unless previously chatted about another time. This time of day allows for the absolute best lighting scenario!
All sessions are delivered through an online gallery on average 3-4 weeks after your session.
what the heck do you wear??
I am SOOO excited to share that I am now offering custom wardrobe assistance for your session!
I know this can be hella overwhelming for a lot of families! So it was time to offer some help!!
A couple of things to consider when picking out your outfits are:
PICK YOUR OUTFIT FIRST - You need to feel your most comfortable and sexy beautiful self. Once you know what you want to wear then focus on the others!
the location - If you have a specific location in mind let me know to make sure your colours dont clash with the background colours, If you do not and are open to my suggestion... FOLLOW STEP 1! Location can be decided later. Your comfort and confidence in feeling good as hell is most important!
time of year - the weather and season can be a big factor into styling of outfits and the feel of the images
PLLLLEAAAASSEEEE COME TO ME FOR HELP IF YOU'RE FEELING STUCK OR NEED A SECOND OPINION!!
I offer an amazing styling assistance program to help alleviate some of the dreaded clothing pressure! And its super simple!
You will enter through the link below, hit which style you like, add your family members and sizes and then start creating custom wardrobe boards, mixing and matching to see how things would all work together!
Theres a couple of really awesome things with this...
1. If you are anything like me you are a visual person and need to see things! This allows you to create a colour palette and build a vision right there!
2. Each item actually has links to go to the website and purchase which is really awesome! The only negative with this is that it is an American company so a lot of the sites are in the states but you can always find things similar here! The sites they use range from common stores like Old Navy, H&M, American Eagle.etc. and then lots of amazing other shops as well! Or you can use the vision board to help you shop around at other stores for similar items/colours etc!
3. And of course do not feel obligated to purchase anything! But I hope this gives you some assistance to building and putting together a wardrobe for your session!
My favourite part... Youo can build as many different variations you want and email them to yourself so you have them on hand when you are shopping!
And please send me ideas when you have them and I can make suggestions where I can. I am happy to help and definitely want to be a part of this process with you!
Website link ---> here
Password: STACIELYNN2023
DON'TS
neons, or bright colours
no matchy matchy, this isn't Sears portrait studio
NO white shirts
restricting fabrics or clothing that needs to be adjusted lots
anything with logos or writing
running shoes or sneakers
For my pinterest board of inspiration click here.
DO'S
neutrals, earthy tones
a pop of colour
denim jackets
cream or off white clothing
stylish hats (no ball caps - unless it is backwards, and a plain solid colour with no logos)
layers
jewelry
simple patterns
Flowy dresses/skirts are encouraged any time of year
location
We live in a very stunning province and the lower mainland provides such an amazing selection of locations. I do try and shoot in locations that are full of nature, with less distracting elements to allow us to focus on you and your families. I prefer un-groomed fields, meadows, mountains, lakes, forests etc. It will definitely change with the season but we will come up with a perfect location for your session. Just remember that we do not need a huge area to create amazing photos and also please remember that my focus is on the people, not the backdrop.
In all honesty, if you are open to it, I do prefer to choose your location based on your outfits, unless you have somewhere specific in mind.
what NOT to bring
A shitty mood! & no, Im not joking ;)
In order to help your session run smoothly, stress free and for everyone to enjoy their time together please leave all negativity at home! I know you will al probably be arguing in the car on the way about how you're late and you couldn't find a specific sock... we all do it. But when you close that door we forget all of that!
Trust in me, enjoy the moment with your family and remind all family members that perfection is not required!
Put your phones away, leave the stress of everyday life behind and truly be present. It will change the outcome of your session drastically!