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Writer's pictureClifton Photographic

4 top tips for planning your family photo shoot

Updated: Nov 18, 2021

In the world of Family photography, planning your shoot is a fun, creative process that the whole family can get involved in. You work alongside your photographer to create the mood or tone for your photographic story. As to the overall aesthetic you want to achieve through your images, there are a few things to consider. Through props, lighting, outfits and colours you can make your shoot as unique as you are.


1. Look at your home decor

Having a colour or small selection of colours running through your shoot is a great place to start when it comes to styling your shoot. Think about your decor at home. Do you have a colour theme running through your home? Perhaps think about incorporating that colour or a contrasting colour. For example, if you have a lot of purple in your living room, then orange in your portraits will really pop as it is opposite on the colour wheel. You can learn all about how we add colour to our portraits here

Red room scene with frameless artwork from clifton photographic

2. Make your outfits work together

Another effective tool in shoot styling is planning your outfits. Now, this doesn't mean everyone in a white t-shirt and jeans... we challenge you to get a little more creative than that! Plus, it's nice to have everyone dressed differently so you all look like individuals!


A great way to do this is to choose your key colour (informed by your decor) and work around that. You can choose formal or casual outfits but we always recommend bringing one of each!


Check out the examples for inspiration:

The Williams Family

The Cooper Family


Some more outfit ideas are: Warm colours (reds, oranges, browns, yellow), Neutral colours (Grey, pastels, light browns), Black and white, Cool tones (purple, blue, white, grey)


Top Tip: It's best to steer clear of clothes with bold patterns, as they tend to clash easily. We also advise not to bring clothing with large Logos as they tend date quickly. You can check out this dedicated post about planning your outfits if you want more tips from us!


3. Personalise your shoot

We have very limited props in our studio and there's a good reason for it... random props have no meaning for your family. We encourage you to bring their own personal items to make your images that bit more unique. We want your family to express their character.. what will you bring?



4. What catches your eye?

It's important that you are able to share your vision with your photographer. Perhaps you know what type of images you want to create but aren't sure how to describe what you want? Here is a small selection of shoot styles to consider:

Candid

In simple terms, candid photography is a photograph captured without creating a posed appearance. It's the style we prefer as we find it helps us capture the most intimate and compelling portraits.


High-Key

High-Key is a term to describe images that are bright and contain little to no shadow. Shot on a white background, this style create light, fun images. This style was hugely popular in the early naughties and many families still love this look.


Traditional

Traditional family portraits will always have their place. Group shots of the whole family, just the kids or all the ladies, for example. These posed shots of several or all family members are a must have part of your family portrait collection.


It's time to book your session...

Now you have lots of ideas and inspiration for your family portraits, it's time to get your session booked into the diary! Our shoot planners will find a date and time that works for you, talk through your ideas with you and give you all the details you'll need.


If you already have a session voucher call the team on 0117 3171965

If you don't have a session voucher, visit our store to purchase on online today!

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