Warming up before a photo shoot

I wanted to talk about the importance of warming up before your photo session. You might wonder what this is. During this time, photographers and families interact before the session starts. Usually, family photographers recommend showing up a little early, maybe 15 minutes before your session, so they can get to know each other. It’s going to be a little scary for kids to interact with someone they’ve never met before, especially when they’re young. To capture your child’s personality, photographers want him or her to feel at ease there and with them.

Arriving early gives the photographer time to get to know your children and family and to get a feel for the session. Some kids warm up immediately, while others need time to feel comfortable and come out of their shells. That’s fine.

Once the photographer introduces herself, she’ll try to get to know your kids. They’ll ask what they like, what they don’t like, sing songs, maybe play a game, etc. By the time the session starts, your kids will be happy and familiar with the photographer. For your family photography session, making sure you’re there early is probably the most important tip most photographers can give you.

As soon as your kids realize the photographer isn’t scary and they actually had fun, they shouldn’t need much warm up time for the next session. For the first session, it’s usually a good idea!