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Writer's pictureHeather Connery

3 Things Your Photographer Doesn't Want You To Do

Updated: Dec 20, 2023

As your photographer, I want you to have a relaxed, enjoyable session experience, and I want your images to be beautiful. To help you get the most our of your session and be happy with your finished product, here are 3 things to avoid.


3 year old girl with short blonde hair wearing white and ivory heirloom dress and an ivory bow sitting on a stool with her chin in her hands as she tilts her head to the side and grins.

1 - Wear an ill-fitting outfit.

Whether it's you, your kids, or your spouse, no one should wear an outfit that they are uncomfortable in or that needs constant adjusting. When you're uncomfortable, it messes with your confidence, your mood, and your ability to enjoy the session. And it totally shows in your photos. For a baby or child session, an outfit that continuously needs to be fixed or adjusted will take up more time, will interrupt the session flow, and can irritate the child we're trying to get a smile out of. If you wear something you can't easily pose in or that makes you constantly uptight about how it's looking at different angles and has you sucking in your stomach, you will be miserable. What to remember for everyone is that each person being photographed should easily be able to stand, sit, squat, jump, and lie down in their outfit.


2 - Overlook the shoes.

For the majority of my sessions, shoes aren't a thing anyway. If it's just babies, children, and/or mom, I prefer you to have bare feet. Shoes can away from the softness of an image. However, for photos of older children or with dad, shoes are best. When so much time is spent choosing the perfect outfits, don't let a dirty or loudly colored sneaker or shoe ruin your photos. They can absolutely make or break the whole session. Make sure you choose solid, neutral colored shoes that are clean and polished.


3 - Force the smile.

Two year old bow with brown hair wearing khaki shorts and a white button down shirt with blue and white suspenders on his hands knees on a cream backdrop looking up and smiling.

Most moms want a genuine, happy smile in their kids' photos. Some to the point that they will stress their children out weeks leading up to and all throughout the session. Repeatedly telling your child during a session - "No, not that smile...your good smile" - is 9 times out of 10 not going to get the smile you're hoping for. The honest best thing for mom and dad to do while their child is being photographed is to step away. Let the photographer take the time they need to talk to, sing with, and play with your child to bring out a smile in an authentic way. Pressure from parents will just burn them out fast. An exception is with babies. Mom and dad can actually be helpful with getting sitters through 18 month olds to laugh, as long as you stand directly behind your photographer to get them looking in the right direction.



In a nutshell, as long as everyone looks good and feels good in what they're wearing and no one is stressing about the perfect smile, you will enjoy your session more and get much better photos.


Here are some links for more info about what to wear for a portrait session.


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