For a number of these questions there are two separate answers. One for Baby Lifestyle and the other for Family Lifestyle shoots. If you have a family and one of your kids is a baby read both!
WHAT TIME OF DAY?
BABY LIFESTYLE: What time do you think baby will be most settled? Happy babies are number one priority! Often straight after morning nap is a great time. If your windows get better light in the afternoon then generally around 2pm is a good start.
FAMILY LIFESTYLE: If there are babies or kids who nap during the day we’ll work around those times so they are freshly rested. If not, the best times are determined by natural light. As a broad guide to times, around 10am or 2pm – whichever has the loveliest light! If your teenagers are mostly nocturnal, that might sway us towards an afternoon shoot…
DO I HAVE TO TIDY THE HOUSE?
The items around you that are part of your everyday life are exactly the things we like to include in these photographs. These images are about you and your family in this point in time. So good clutter can stay.
Not-so-good-clutter would be things like used dishes in the kitchen (if your kitchen has fabulous light we’ll be adding that to our locations! Especially if it’s somewhere you spend time as a family).
Not every room has to be a photo location. If you have a spare room it may be perfect to temporarily store unphotogenic items…. we can just keep that door closed.
BABY LIFESTYLE: Photographs of you and baby on the master bed are lovely, and that’s fine either neatly made or not – it’s completely up to you!
FAMILY LIFESTYLE: A favourite activity for lifestyle photos is for the whole family to prepare and eat breakfast together. If kitchen light is better in the afternoon we can do your breakfast shoot then – these are examples to get you thinking. We discuss possible activities or scenarios in our consultation. Photographs of you and kiddos on the master bed are lovely. I’ll definitely ask kids to jump on your bed if they’re at that age…. with the pets. This seems like a good time to remind you that I always require at least one parent to be present – even if you’re in the periphery – because you know your kids and your home better than I do and their safety is of utmost importance.
WHAT TO WEAR?
BABY LIFESTYLE: Have a few outfits handy for baby. Adults either have a layered item, like a cardigan, wrap or over shirt, that you can take off half way through, or have a completely different outfit to change into.
FAMILY LIFESTYLE: Be yourselves. If you’d like some guidance I’d say maybe laid-back colours for parents and brighter for kids.
EVERYONE: There are some general requests (not rules) across all ages because these things can be distracting in a photograph, particularly if there is more than one person in the shot, and someone is wearing one of these:
- Avoid high contrast patterns or stripes
- No fluorescent colours unless they’re sun protection wear for the kids
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Patterns are best if they’re subtle. That said, there are some beautiful fabric designs but it’s safer to stay with muted tones and low contrast colours, or solid colours
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No large logos on t-shirts or clothing
- In direct light white clothing tends to photograph too brightly, muted colours are better
You don’t need to be colour coordinated with each other, but staying within a tonal range is recommended. For example, everyone in light to medium tones, or medium to dark tones.
WHAT IF ONE OF THE KIDS HAS GRUMPY PANTS ON THAT DAY?
No problem at all, everyone has a gnarly day every now and then! Truth be told, photos of grumpy kids are totally endearing… after the fact.
I don’t try to force smiles from anyone but they’ll probably want to join in after a little while when they see you enjoying yourself. On quite a few occasions clients have commented on my infinite patience – but I don’t ever remember feeling like I was actively needing it. Really I’m just good at going with the flow.
DO YOU EDIT THE PHOTOS?
Yes, every photo is professionally edited! If you choose to purchase one of your images as a large format wall print or canvas I resize it and check every inch again to make sure it’s perfect on your wall. This is included in the price of that item.
Image retouching doesn’t cover things like removing elements of your home or environment, manipulations to slim people or high end skin retouching. It’s rare that anyone requests this because part of my job is to see and capture the best version of you, (all those years of portrait and wedding photography… getting the best angle is in my blood!) but if you really want extra editing done I’ll give you a separate quote per image.
THERE ARE SOME PHOTOS WITH A BLURRED EDGE, IS THIS A PHOTOSHOP EFFECT?
Nope, I have a sweet little lens called a Lens Baby and it creates that effect in camera! I usually do a small selection of shots with this lens because they are so stylised. It’s a fun contrast to the other photos.
WHEN DO WE SEE OUR PHOTOS?
You get a cheeky sneak peek of one of my favourites within 24 hours, your photo gallery will be ready two weeks after the shoot. Actually it will probably be earlier than that, but just to be safe let’s say two weeks.
WHAT IF SOMEONE ISN’T WELL?
If you or your child are sick on our session day we reschedule. No problem at all! I’ll soldier on through cyclonic weather if I have to, but I won’t bring sniffles into your house. Any sign of those and I’ll request a reschedule.