4 Effective Tips for Taking Family Pictures at Home

Fairport NY Family Photographers

In our opinion, taking family portraits when your kids are still young is important. A lot of the time, we’ll come right to you to capture candid pictures of your family right from the comfort of home. Taking family pictures at home can create a relaxed atmosphere, which in turn creates authentic interactions between family members.

But, we often get a lot of questions about it. So we thought we’d share a few things that we find help.

Here are 4 effective tips for taking family pictures at home:

1) Choose the Right Time of Day for Family Portraits

Timing is everything when working with young kids. Plan your portrait session around your kids schedule if possible. Believe it or not, if your child is happiest in the early morning - that’s a great time for the best lighting for portraits as well, so it’s a win-win! (And you can always take a nap with them afterwards, right?)

2) Set the Stage for Sucess Without the Stress

Before your family pictures begin, aim to make your home feel inviting and mostly clutter-free. And I do mean mostly - we’re moms too, so we get that life with kids isn’t spotless! Don’t stress about making things picture perfect. The focus is on your family, not your floors.

Help your kids feel comfortable by involving them in the prep. Let them choose a favorite toy or book to bring into the family session. This gives them a sense of ownership and can make a big difference in helping them relax in front of the camera. You can also offer a couple of outfit options that fit the color palette you’ve chosen and let them pick their favorite. When kids feel good in what they’re wearing, it shows in the photos!

3) Embrace Playfulness and Trust

Kids are often more engaged in their family pictures when they’re allowed to move around and play. So let’s lean into that idea and encourage play during the family session. Let them run around in the yard, swing or explore. These candid moments while playing often allow for some treasured family photos!

And while it might be tempting as a parent to direct and force them to stand still for a family picture, trust your family photographer to lead that charge. Our job is to keep the mood light, using games or songs or goofy faces, so that we can capture the kinds of family pictures you really want.

4) Take a Break & Have a Plan

Kids can go from perfectly pleasant to anxious and upset in a matter of seconds. Be prepared to take breaks with snacks, books and calming activities to help them reset when they need it!

And while it’s not ideal, there are times when things just don’t go as planned. So let’s have a plan B ready. It might be moving to another space in the home, or an outfit change, or even the promise of ice cream for dinner. Flexibility and patience in these situations help keep everyone’s mood positive.

Capturing family pictures at home can celebrate the unique personality of your family, especially when kids are involved. By embracing spontaneity and keeping the atmosphere relaxed, you can create beautiful memories that you will cherish for years to come.

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Find Family Pictures in Fairport NY on the Blog

Candid Mini Sessions: Family Pictures at Webster Arboretum

There are so many perfect little nooks and crannies at the Webster Arboretum for family pictures. It’s hard for me to pick my favorite spot!

Our summer family mini sessions were full of silly faces and giggles - and that was just from us, the family photographers. The families that joined us for their family portraits were also full of silliness and laughs, but also snuggles and hugs.

The kids loved playing hide and seek in the willow trees, and climbing up on the rocks throughout the park. The parents loved getting an updated family picture AND simultaneously letting their kiddos run off some energy at the same time. Win-win for everyone!

Extended Family Pictures in Pittsford NY: Fairport NY Photographers

Mendon Ponds Park was the perfect late fall setting for this crew’s latest extended family portrait session.

There’s a benefit to hiring the same photographer year after year for your family pictures. We’ve been photographing their family pictures for awhile now, so they knew exactly what to expect from us. Vice versa, we also knew exactly what to expect from them.

We know what phrases are going to make the kids (and adults) laugh. We know whether or not they’ll willing go in for a big group hug. We know when to let the kids just run around for a few minutes.

The whole process of family pictures ends up being smoother, faster and way less stressful for everyone involved.

Check out these adorable faces, and let us know when we’ll see you for your next family portrait session!

Fairport Extended Family Pictures: Rochester NY Family Photographers

These wide, happy smiles are brought to you by lots of laughter and the promise of pie.

It helps that half of this gorgeous group knows us well, having been their family photographers through our Candid Mini Session Events and various family portrait sessions.

Family in town for the holidays? Why yes, we’ll make beautiful family pictures of your whole family for you. It’d be our pleasure.

(And if we can’t during the holidays, we’d be happy to offer you a gift certificate solution!)

Family Pictures in Fairport NY at Fellows Road Park

From their engagement session to their wedding. Then from one newborn session, to family portraits with two little kids.

You might not know it, but there’s often a lot of chasing involved when you photograph toddlers in family pictures.

The chase and the hard work makes it feel so rewarding when we actually capture that one moment when everyone is happy, interacting and smiling.

Are these four the cutest or what?

Family Pictures on the Farm: Fairport NY Photographers

I think we use a different vehicle in their family photos every year, but I have to say this bright orange truck might be a favorite!

We met up with these guys for their family pictures in Fairport. The nearby cornfield was the perfect setting for some late fall family portraits, and even the dog wanted in on the fun this year.

If you recognize them, it’s because they’ve been coming to our Candid Mini Session Events for a few years now.

We’re super grateful to them as well, as they’re hosting our upcoming Cars and Trucks Mini Session Event! They have a wide variety of cars (camaros and mustangs anyone?), trucks (like this awesome orange one) and tractors of all kinds to use for great family pictures, as well as some to let kiddos play on. I mean, what kid doesn’t love climbing into the seat of a tractor?

Why Candid Family Portrait Sessions Are For You

Fairport NY Family Pictures

When you hear the term “mini sessions”, you probably think of designated 15 time slots and perfectly placed props - am I right? If that’s what you’re after, that’s great! More power to you! But that’s not exactly how our mini sessions work.

Our Candid Mini Session Events are unlike regular family mini sessions. While we do set aside time for each family to have a few posed family portraits, the focus of these events is on capturing real families at play.
So how do you know if it's right for your family? Here’s a few thoughts:

1) You have kids that never stop moving.

Seriously, NEVER. You chase your toddler all over creation, so you know they won’t sit still for a posed picture. That’s fine with us! The idea with our candid mini sessions, is that we’re capturing them while they play with you - moving or not.

2) Family pictures stress you out.

”My kids don’t smile for the camera, they are hard to photograph.”

We’ve been taking great pictures of hard to photograph kids since before we had our own babies. We’ve got tricks, we play games, we have an activity for them to enjoy. We are there, but not in your faces for 15 minutes straight, begging for smiles. We give them time to play and get to know us. The results are real smiles and relaxed parents.

3) You want to be in the moment AND the pictures.

You feel like you're never part of the fun because someone has to take the pictures. Well, put your phone down because we’re here to capture this little slice of life that includes you, for you.

4) You like family pictures that are more than posed photos.

Believe it or not, it is possible to have the best of both worlds when it comes to family pictures. You may have a milestone to celebrate, but you also know that little moments happen all year long. There’s life to live, and you want to live it - but also, you want to freeze it in time too.

There's activities and opportunities every month, so if you want the schedule - get the details here! Or if you want to talk and ask questions, check out that little purple button below.

Fairport NY Family Pictures: One Year Portrait Session

The first year of life is full of milestones, but turning one is a truly special one for both child and parent.

This little one year old, sweet as can be, was accompanied by big brother- the family dog, and two doting parents for their family pictures.

We checked out one of my favorite hidden spots as a Fairport NY photographer - The Thomas Creek Boardwalk. If you know it, don’t give it away, ok? Our little secret.

I look forward to seeing more of this little one as she grows and capturing more of their family portraits, but for now, enjoy being ONE!

Family pictures with a 6 month old: Rochester NY Family Portraits

These family pictures were taken almost one year to the date that Laura and Kevin posed in this same spot with an empty onesie and their pumpkins.

Now, a beautiful 6 month old sits in that onesie, in the same spot for her third family session in her first year portrait series. Lori mentioned at the time, that as she shot this session, she got a little teary eyed thinking back to that very first announcement session.

We also got a glimpse of her perfect little fairy Halloween costume - and we’re basically dead.

Check it out, we think you’ll agree.

Holiday Candid Mini Session Event: Fairport NY Family Pictures

Our holiday mini sessions are ready to share! Oh what fun we had!

Our candid mini session events are not just about posed family pictures with a pretty background. We do our best to make them a family style fun event too.

This time around, we had a fire pit, hot chocolate, ornament making, lots of trees to decorate and a tire swing to play on.

And because we know you folks want a pretty setting too, we had a few trees pre decorated for our families to have a posed holiday family picture in front of.

These candid mini session events have evolved so much over the past two years, and we’re grateful for every family who has joined us.

As we wrap of 2021, we’re hard at work planning 2022 events - so if you have an idea, or want to partner on something, feel free to get in touch with us!

Family pictures with the whole family in Canandaigua NY

Reuniting with a past wedding couple and their family for extended family portraits is always a great time. Seeing their kids, how much they have grown, and catching up with them at their parents anniversary dinner was very special to us.

I mean, what better way is there to celebrate a family legacy than with your kids and grandkids overlooking Canandaigua Lake?

How about capturing everyone in one family picture after a long year apart? Perfect.

It was a beautiful gift for a wonderful family.