What should you consider when choosing your images?

Many of my clients are hoping to get the perfectly posed and executed images with perfect smiles and eyes looking directly in the camera. But are IDEAL photos really the ones where children are looking at the camera?

I hope this blog post will be a nice read and food for thought for you.

At the beginning of my photography journey I believed that I should always aim for perfect images with all models’ smiley faces directed exactly at my camera. It was the same for children and family photography. I always did my best to achieve this result, although as you may guess it was not always easy.

However, whilst going through my own kids’ photographs, I realised I appreciated something else more than the perfectly executed shots. I realised that what makes a perfect shot for me is natural spontaneous fun captured in a frame.

Whilst flicking through my own family albums and images, I always stopped when I looked at an image where our true personalities and natural moods were captured. My son’s grumpy face, my daughter playing with a leaf that she had just picked, my son making shapes out of the sticks that he had found or my daughter blowing flower petals are the images that tell the story.

Every time I look at them, I can recall the events of the day and how much fun we had together and how happy my children were being themselves, unrestricted and uninterrupted.

Of course, I take a lot of posed images for my children, however the ones where they are free to be themselves and which portray true emotions are most valuable for us as a family.

How to choose images from your shoot?

Go with your emotions. Follow your heart and choose images that evoke positive beautiful emotions and memories.

In my location shoots I offer a mixture of posed and natural images.

It allows your children to feel happy, playful and unrestricted and me to capture the real you. Your family. The funny thing is that very often during the shoot parents encourage their kids to pose or smile for me.

Yet, when they come to view and select their favourite images, I notice that it is the natural images that cause my clients to smile and recall the emotions of the day and they are naturally drawn to them.

I get a lot of messages from clients saying how much you love and appreciate my style and portfolio, and this is the reason they choose me. I am ever so grateful for your trust in me and your custom. If you love what I do, you need to trust that what I do for you will also be of the best standard and will make a perfect memory for you to treasure for years.

Let me direct you, suggest poses, encourage your kids to be kids and I promise the gallery we will create will be one you will love.

Let the emotions take over the shoot – show love, affection, be playful, crazy and natural.

Forget about me and my camera and just indulge in the moment. Relish the time with each other. Try to remember the best times from your childhood or best times with your own family.

Close your eyes and try to recall the most memorable, precious and enjoyable moments.

I can bet that these are all spontaneous, happy moments where you let yourself be free and happy. Maybe you were on the beach, or in the woods or maybe you were jumping in the puddles or having a picnic in the park. Or it could have been the day when you all got nicely dressed and went out for a special meal.

If these are the moments that matter to you most, make sure you get them captured and preserved. This is what your images should be all about – the story of your family. The story of laughter, joy, spontaneity. You will never regret it.

Let me show you the moments that I captured for my own kids – both posed and totally natural where I let my kids be kids and let them create the scene and the mood.

I hope to see you for a shoot with me too.