GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR FAMILY PHOTO SESSION IN DALLAS, TEXAS
Everything you need to know to show up, relax, and walk away with portraits you absolutely love.
A little bit of planning makes a whole lot of difference.
By Richard Hill Studio | Luxury Fine Art Family Portrait Photography | Dallas, Texas
BEFORE YOUR PHOTO SESSION
The families who get the most out of their portrait sessions are almost always the ones who’ve done a little thinking in advance. Not a lot, just enough to arrive feeling prepared, relaxed, and ready to enjoy themselves. Here’s what we’d suggest:
Talk to Your Kids About What’s Happening
Surprises are great. BUT Portrait sessions are better with a heads up.
If you’re bringing children along, and let’s be honest, for most Dallas families that’s the whole point, give them a little advance notice about what to expect. Not a big formal announcement, just a casual mention in the days leading up to the session. Let them know it’s going to be fun, that there’s no pressure to be perfect, and that they can be completely themselves.
Children who arrive knowing what’s happening tend to settle in much faster than ones who’ve been sprung on it at the last minute. And a settled child makes for a much more relaxed session, and much more beautiful portraits. For younger children especially, it can help to frame it as an adventure rather than a chore. You’re going somewhere exciting, someone is going to take some really cool photos of the whole family, and afterwards you might just go somewhere fun to celebrate. Simple, positive, and zero pressure.
GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
Tired children and great portraits are not the best of friends.
This one sounds obvious but it genuinely makes a huge difference. A well rested child is a happy child , and a happy child is an absolute joy to photograph. If your session is a morning one, make sure everyone gets to bed at a reasonable time the night before. If it’s an afternoon session, factor in nap time for the little ones if that’s part of their routine.
Overtired children find it much harder to regulate their emotions, and while we are very experienced at working with children of all ages and temperaments, there is no substitute for a good night’s sleep. The same goes for adults, by the way. You’ll feel more confident, more relaxed, and more like yourself when you’re well rested. And that absolutely comes through in your portraits.
HANGRY IS NOT A GOOD LOOK
FEED EVERYONE BEFORE YOU ARRIVE!
Make sure everyone has eaten a proper meal before the session. Hungry children are grumpy children, and grumpy children do not want to smile for the camera – no matter how many funny faces we pull. A good meal an hour or so before the session will keep energy levels steady and everyone in a much better frame of mind. Bring snacks too if you have little ones, a well timed snack can work absolute wonders mid session when energy starts to dip. One thing worth noting, try to avoid anything that’s going to leave a visible mark. Chocolate, or bright red drinks are best saved for after the session rather than before it.
SORT YOUR OUTFITS THE NIGHT BEFORE
The morning of your session is not the time to discover the shirt doesn’t fit anymore.
We have a whole separate blog post on what to wear for your family portrait session and we’d really encourage you to give it a read if you haven’t already. But the single most important piece of advice we can give you here is this – do not leave outfits until the morning of the session. Sort everything the night before. Try it all on. Check it all fits. Iron or steam everything. Lay it all out ready to go. The morning of your session should feel calm and excited, not rushed and chaotic. Nothing creates morning chaos quite like a last minute wardrobe crisis.
GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME TO ARRIVE
Aim to arrive a few minutes early rather than exactly on time. Dallas traffic being what it is, a little buffer time takes the pressure off completely. Arriving flustered and stressed is not the best way to start a session! Arriving calm, collected, and with two minutes to spare absolutely is. Use those few minutes to let the children have a look around, get comfortable in the space, and transition from the car journey to the studio. It makes a surprisingly big difference.
Let the Children Lead — At Least at the Start
When you first arrive, we always take a little time to let the children settle into the studio at their own pace. We’ll have a chat, maybe a little play, get everyone feeling comfortable before we even think about picking up the camera. Trying to rush straight into posed portraits before children have had a chance to warm up rarely ends well. We would always rather take ten extra minutes at the start to build that comfort and trust than push ahead before everyone is ready. If your child is shy or takes a little longer to warm up, please don’t worry. We’ve worked with every personality type imaginable in our Dallas studio and we know exactly how to bring even the most camera shy child out of their shell – gently, patiently, and without any pressure whatsoever.
TRUST THE PROCESS – TRUST US
One of the most common things we see during family portrait sessions – especially with first time clients – is parents trying to manage everything themselves. Telling the children to smile, to stand up straight, to look at the camera. We completely understand the instinct, but honestly? The more you relax and let us lead, the better your portraits will be. We have our own tried and tested ways of getting genuine smiles, real laughter, and natural interactions from families, and they work far better than “say cheese” ever will. Hand the reins over, take a breath, and just enjoy being together. We’ll take care of the rest.
EMBRACE THE CHAOS
Some of the best portraits happen in the unplanned moments.
Children don’t always do what you expect them to do. Toddlers have opinions. Teenagers have moods. Dogs have agendas. And honestly? That’s where some of the most beautiful, real, and memorable portraits come from. The giggle that came out of nowhere. The moment the baby grabbed their big sibling’s face. The dog who decided to photobomb the entire family. These are the moments that make your portrait uniquely, perfectly yours, and we are always watching for them with the camera ready.
Don’t strive for perfection. Strive for real. Real is always more beautiful anyway.
Let’s get your date in the diary before life gets any busier.
Ready to Book Your Dallas Family Portrait Session?
At Richard Hill Studio we create luxury fine art family portraits for families across Dallas, Texas who want something genuinely beautiful to hang on their walls and treasure for generations. If you’re ready to book, or you just want to have a friendly, no pressure chat about what’s involved, we would absolutely love to hear from you. Fill in the form below and we’ll be in touch to start planning your session.
For the joy givers, the imperfectionists, the lovers of life and the artists.
For the fun lovers, the cry babies, the music makers and dancers.
