Any photographer will tell you that, sometimes, things just don’t work out as planned. Despite all we can do, occasionally there are circumstances that are beyond our control. I recently had one of these experiences.
I’ve known and loved Laura and David for about ten years now. I had the pleasure of (finally) meeting their two little ones last weekend. Both of our families were going to be in San Diego at the same time, so we decided to schedule a family photo session.
I’m not from San Diego – I’m a Colorado girl at heart (not that I don’t love the ocean!) – but I’m pretty familiar with the area. I researched some locations, we set a time that worked for everyone, I got to know the kiddos (who are the absolute sweetest). Everything was all lined up.
But when it came time to do our actual photo session, we hit some snags. They got hung up at dinner with family; they didn’t have their rented car when they thought they would; they didn’t have time to make it to our location before we lost the light; they weren’t wearing the outfits they’d brought for our shoot; the toddler was getting cranky; the baby fell asleep. You name it, it was going wrong (except the weather – let’s face it, the weather always cooperates in San Diego). Additionally, mom and dad were very concerned that their toddler (who “never smiles for photographs”) wasn’t going to tolerate this at ALL.
In the end, despite all of these extenuating circumstances, we ended up having a really fun photoshoot, and wound up with some beautiful pictures. There are a few things that really helped along the way.
1. Make your location work
Even if it isn't what you originally picked.
Not gonna lie - when I found out we couldn’t do our session at the location I’d picked, my first instinct was to panic. I know the area, but not intimately. I’m still VERY reliant on GPS in SD. I asked where they were having dinner, and what was nearby. Then I high-tailed it down to the area, and started scouting for a nice spot.
Lo and behold, there was the lovely little old schoolhouse, surrounded by palm trees and cacti. And the light was starting to come in perfectly. I took a couple laps around the place, and found a few spots that would work well. It turned out to be a really fun location, and I wouldn’t have otherwise found it.
2. Roll with the toddler punches
Gigi was not thrilled about this session at first. She’d had a long day traveling, she was getting tired, and the last thing she wanted was me pointing my camera in her face.
Mom and dad started trying to cheer her up and have her pose with the family. I assured them that she was just fine as she was. After about 8 minutes, she saw how much fun mom and dad were having with her little brother, she decided she wanted in. She brightened right up, and helped us all to make a fun and memorable game out of the experience.
3. Accept imperfection
It’s more realistic
I know this family packed some really cute outfits to wear for our shoot, thinking that they would have time to go back to their hotel and change before we went out. Alas, it didn’t work out this way. Dad showed up sporting his favorite NFL team; toddler was, of course, wearing her favorite Elsa dress and toddler high-heels; mom…well, mom looked amazing, because, duh, she’s mom.
This wasn’t what they had so carefully planned, but in many ways, this more accurately depicts who this family is – their actual lifestyle. I could not be more ok with this.
4. Have. Fun.
Remember, family lifestyle photography is about capturing memories and documenting those moments of connection that we share with one another. Our primary purpose is to have fun.
