A Tip for Holiday Family Portraits
ByOne tip I have for you when photographing family groups is to photograph mom and dad together. Actually I make this a habit for each family group I do. I usually pose the mom and dad first as I am setting up the family pose anyway, so I pause and take a couple photographs of just them before I add the children to the pose. I don’t even ask them anymore if they want me to or not because they would just say “no, that’s okay.” I just do it.
So many couples are used to putting the kids first all the time. They typically do not think of getting their own portrait made unless it is a monumental anniversary. So this is a great time to do something nice for them whether they know they will want to order one or not. Again, I don’t make a big deal of this, I just shoot a few frames and move on.
It takes me about two minutes to capture this pose and the children like it too. I have them help me get their parents to smile.
I used to have a session that included breakdowns for a higher price. Very few people wanted that session; they went with the one family pose session. You see, they don’t know how much they will really like a portrait of the two of them until they see a nice one. And if they don’t order one, I am not out anything at all.
I actually have more sales this way than when I had an actual session for break down groups and it is fast, easy and fun for them. If you become good at selling large images and framing, this can be a dramatic sale for you.
© 2011 Barb Gordon Photo Coach & Gordon Photography & Gallery, Inc.
