5 Tips on how to prepare for a relaxed and fun family photography session in Orange County

Capturing the perfect family moment is an art that combines spontaneity with a touch of preparation. In Orange County, where stunning beaches and vibrant parks provide the ideal backdrop, planning a family photography session can be both exciting and daunting. To ensure your experience is relaxed and enjoyable, I put together five essential tips that will help you prepare for a fun-filled family photography session. These insights will set the stage for beautiful memories that you and your family will cherish for years to come. Let’s dive into how you can make the most of your family photography session in Orange County!

1. Share your desires, concerns, and quirks with your photographer. 

Sharing these details with your photographer can help them understand the motive for the images and help them look for those moments, concerns, and quirks during the session. This way, they don't highlight the wrong thing.

If you don't know what some of those are or what to tell your photographer, I will send you a questionnaire that has common concerns and questions I need to know to help the session run smoothly.

2. Show the kids videos, photos, and info to get them invested (husbands as well!).

If you hired me for a reason (style of images, connection, poses, editing, etc.), please share it with your family and let them know what we discussed. Tell them how I plan to make our session fun and highlight the connection of the family, along with the result in my portfolio.

Including them gives them the space to be a part of the planning and know what we are trying to create, even if it may seem weird to them, they will trust that I know what I am doing to get a great shot.

3. Bring a ‘just in case’ bag including things like: extra clothes for littles, wipes, snacks, sweaters. 

The clients in the photo were watching the waves when a big one came, and they couldn't get out of it fast enough that the oldest boy got soaked. We had to get him a sweater to try and hide how wet he was, but he was unhappy for the rest of the time we had, and the fact that it was getting colder.

You never know what can happen, but having wipes and a change of clothes can help for the just-in-case-it-happens moments.

4. Give yourself double the amount of time you think you need.

This is a big one; we only have an hour, and if we are doing a golden hour session, we only have so much time with the light. Giving yourself time helps you not feel rushed and frustrated when running late or traffic comes up.

I plan on being at the location 30 minutes before the session to make sure I can get there and find parking. If I'm going to the beach, I try even earlier beach the PCH gets very busy.

5. Plan a treat for after the photoshoot!

Ask the kids what they'd like to include in the family time, and look forward to having a fun session with a treat they are excited about. It gives them something to work towards and to tell me all about during the session.

Of course, ice cream is a big hit, but what about their favorite food for dinner or a family movie/game night?

I hope that the 5 tips for a relaxed family session in Orange County have given you the help you need to make your session great for the whole family! If you'd like to have relaxed and joy-filled family sessions, you can click the link below to book your consultation so we can chat about a session the whole family will look forward to!

Not ready to book just yet? You can find out more about me and what I do on my website. From there, you can choose to stay in touch via my newsletter. Form located at the bottom of the page.

Also, you can follow me on IG @biancajophotography