Taking family photos with your children sometimes gets a bad rep. I once had a friend tell me that she would only do mini sessions with her children because “after 20 minutes they are completely done and melting down anyways.” But nine times out of ten I have found that as long as you come prepared and have a solid game plan, you can get kids to play along for a full hour long session.

Gone are the days of “Say Cheese” couples photos! You are paying good money for these images and they should be as unique, natural, and emotive as you are. In order to obtain those results I use prompting instead of posing in my photoshoots. What’s the difference? Posing is telling a couple “stand just so and place your hands just here, now don’t move until I say!” Prompting on the other hand is giving a couple a task or action to perform and letting them have the freedom to interpret that and make it their own.

How to feel less awkward when having your picture taken. 5 tips to use before your next family photo session to feel more comfortable in front of the camera. Featuring images from a Southern MA in-home newborn photoshoot.