One of the hardest things when planning family photos with little ones has to do with timing. Golden hour is the hour before sunset and depending on the time of year, this likely is past your toddlers bed time. As a mom of 3, I understand that planning something past your child’s bedtime can be a nightmare. But trust me, photographing during golden hour is worth it. So here are a few tips to help prepare your toddler for golden hour:

The perfect timing for outdoor family sessions completely depends on the photographers style. For me, I love the golden glow from a beautiful sunset. I also love intense back light and artistic sun flares (as you can see in the image above). Therefore, I have very specific times in which I like to schedule outdoor sessions. Here’s why.

For some reason, there seems to always be a little bit of stress around booking family photos. That’s okay! But I’m here to remind you - the whole thing doesn’t need to be stressful. To help yourself avoid some stress in planning your family photoshoot, here are some important things to consider:

It might seem weird to you to book your family photos in advance. A couple weeks, might sound reasonable, but the year before, really? Yes. Many of my clients book their sessions months in advance. I connect with my past clients and mailing list early into the new year to make sure they can book as soon as possible. Here are some of the benefits of booking your family photoshoot in advance: