Katie SwiftPHOTOGRAPHYOff the Screen. Into your Life.
Transforming fleeting moments into lasting stories.
Senior, Pet, Family & Branding Photographer Springboro, Dayton & Cincinnati, OH
3 Ways to Actually Enjoy Your Family Photoshoot
I know it's hard to believe but I promise family pictures can be fun!
1. Play instead of pose.
Don't worry- there will still be time to get a few of those "look at the camera and smile" pics, but the focus should mostly be on goofin' off together.
Old-school fun, such as piggyback rides, races, hiking creeks, and skipping stones, are just a few of the ways your family can play instead of pose.
Have yourselves a whale of a time!
2. Relax the rules.
I get it—you want your kids to behave. You are teaching them good manners, respect, and how to follow directions. Under normal conditions, I would expect you to intervene if your child is not listening or causing a ruckus. But a photoshoot is anything but normal!
A photoshoot is the perfect time for shenanigans!
Sessions flow better when parents relax their grip, give the kids extra leeway, and let their photographer take the lead. After 19 years of motherhood, I have a few tricks up my sleeve—I don't even need to resort to wearing my police hat!
3. Be real, not perfect.
I know tons of photographers who spend hours and money staging photoshoots with supermodel families wearing hipster clothes in breathtaking places.
It's not that there’s anything wrong with fashion and fields, but they don’t say anything about who you are. If anything, your hip, hair blowing in the wind, gracefully gliding through tall grasses family does nothing but separate us.
It’s our messiness, our mismatched shoes, our boogers and homemade haircuts that unite us.
Be brave. Be yourself. We're all more alike than you think...
pssst...can I be honest?
Family sessions extend me as a photographer. The more the merrier may be true, but when a camera is involved, this also means more eyes blinking, more heads turning, more bodies blurring, and, well, just... more.
I have to say, some of my most challenging work has been documenting families. Sometimes I wonder if it's been my most meaningful work too.
After losing family members, my perspective on everything—including family photography—has deepened. Many of the pictures at my brother's funeral were ones I had taken, mostly at birthday parties and holiday get-togethers and summer cookouts.
The best photos weren't necessarily the ones of him looking directly at the camera smiling, but the ones where he was connecting: holding his son's hand as they walked down a country road. Massive tattooed arms engulfing his baby girl as he kissed her cheek.
The pictures didn't even have to be technically 'good' to be iconic. Harsh lighting, cluttered background, and a gaggle of mismatched kids hanging off their Uncle Bobby said so more than a polished portrait ever could.
When we look at them now, we don’t just see his face—we feel his presence. We can almost hear his voice again. These photographs are how we remember.
This is my heart when I photograph families. My focus is not on everyone being in focus. It's not about perfect smiles and styles and backdrops. It's kind of messy and stressy and it feels vulnerable because it is. Because families don't always get along. Siblings, especially, get under each other's skin.
My brother and I fought more than anyone—we used to wear the rest of the family out with our constant bickering. And the thing is, in the beginning, right after he died, I felt so much regret for all the arguing. I bargained with God that if Bobby were still alive, I'd get along better with him. I'd seen the light—I wouldn't be so petty.
But now, after having more time to miss him and process his absence, I no longer make deals with God. I just miss my brother. I miss our flawed relationship. I miss trying to one-up him—trying to explain myself and prove myself—all the ways I tried to gain his approval.
Life is weird. Family is too.
Katie
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