What to Expect From Your Family Photoshoot in Lichfield

If you’re thinking about booking a family photoshoot in Lichfield but aren’t quite sure what to expect, hopefully this will help.

If you’re thinking about booking a family photoshoot in Lichfield but aren’t quite sure what to expect, hopefully this will help.

As a family photographer in Lichfield, one of the things I hear most often is that people are worried their children won’t behave, they won’t know what to wear or that everyone will feel awkward in front of the camera.

So, here’s a little look at what happens before, during and after your family photography session with me — and hopefully a little reassurance that it doesn't have to feel like a traditional photoshoot.

What happens before the session?

Once you have booked your session with me and I have received the creative fee, I will send you a quick questionnaire to help me get to know you and give me some ideas for your session.

We will have a chat about locations, clothing and anything else you are worried about, so that you can arrive feeling calm because you know what to expect.

Whether we're planning an outdoor family photoshoot around Lichfield or a more relaxed session at home, I want the experience to feel personal to you and your family.

What should we wear?

This bit is really important because it sets the overall visual for the final photographs.

I always start with colour. What colour do you love? Do you have a dress in a specific colour you feel amazing in? And then we build from there.

If it is a family shoot, I always start with Mum first. Not because everyone else doesn't matter, but because I know how often mums are the ones making sure everyone else has what they need before thinking about themselves.

I want you to feel beautiful too. Your photographs shouldn't be a collection of everyone else while you're missing from them.

Once we have a colour scheme in mind, I will send you some mood boards to give you inspiration on how to create a cohesive look.

The aim isn't for everyone to look perfectly matched. I want you to still look like yourselves, just with colours and textures that work beautifully together in your photographs.

My children can be a bit wild. What if they don’t stand still and smile?

Please don't worry about this. Honestly, I would be far more concerned if they did stand perfectly still and smile on command!

Children barely really stand still and smile — and that is the joy in photographing them.

I don't want you to spend your family photoshoot trying to get your children to behave. I want you to enjoy them.

I will always try to meet them where they are and give you prompts and little tasks to do that will keep them engaged and enjoying themselves. Sometimes that might mean running, sometimes cuddling, sometimes a little bit of silliness.

My favourite images usually come from the moments that are not posed because that is where you capture their true personality.

Don't forget, I am a mama too, so I am used to children doing what they want, not what I want!

How do you keep things relaxed?

Having a chat about other things helps a lot. I love a good mama-to-mama natter to help you get to know me a bit (and realise we are all in this together!). Nothing like a bit of camaraderie to help you relax.

If we are having an outdoor session, I will always start by walking to the first location. This helps get any nerves out through movement, gives children a chance to get used to me a bit and gives me the opportunity to catch some candid moments.

If it is indoors, I will be in the space before I get my camera out. Then, when I do, I will let the little ones have a look at some photos so they can see what I am doing.

By the time I get the camera out, I want it to feel less like you've arrived for a photoshoot and more like you've just spent some time together as a family — I've simply been there to capture it.

Indoor vs Outdoor?

This is totally personal preference.

Being in nature has a profound effect on cortisol levels, which can help everyone feel a little more at ease. Outdoor sessions also give us the opportunity to utilise different types of environments to give a nice variety to your images.

Being indoors in your own home has the advantage that everything you need for the kids is there and it is a space they feel safe and relaxed in. Having the option of using different rooms allows for some really personal moments.

And don't worry about making sure your house looks like a show home. I can promise you mine does not!

What happens afterwards?

Once the session is complete, I will cull and edit the photographs.

I will contact you when this is completed (usually within 2 weeks) and send you a link to your personalised gallery.

Here you can select the photographs you would like, which will determine which package you buy. Once you have decided and payment has been received, a gallery with the selected photographs will be released to you so you can download your photographs.

The experience is more than just ‘say cheese’

Booking a photography session, regardless of what type of session you are having, is a commitment to you and your family.

Because here's the thing about photographs: they become more valuable as time passes.

One day your children won't fit in your arms in quite the same way. Their faces will change, their voices will change and the little things they do now will become memories.

And when you look back at these photographs, I don't want you to simply see what your family looked like. I want you to remember what this particular season of motherhood felt like.

The cuddles. The chaos. The laughter. The little hands holding yours. The way they looked at you.

It won't be the perfectly posed 'say cheese' photograph that brings all of that back. It will be the honest, imperfect moments that show your family exactly as they were.

That is what I want to capture for you through your family photography session in Lichfield.

Because one day, these photographs won't just be photographs. They'll be pieces of your family's story.