Almost everyone I know gets a little nervous about photo sessions – it makes me grateful that my clients are willing to break through that because the result is so important to them.

A lot lies in preparing the scene – plan some fun before, during and afterwards. Let your children know that your friend with a camera is coming over to play and you’ll be trying to get some kisses and cuddling in with who you love most.

And afterwards, even though I know you probably did 99.9% of the preparation, write your husband a thank you note so he feels like the super hero husband he is for being awesome.

Schedule a house cleaning (if you want), get your hair done (if you want)…and keep the day as free from other commitments as possible so afterwards you can scoop your family up and bring them for ice cream while praising them for being the cutest most awesome family on the planet :)

We all know our families pick up on our vibe so just keep yours light and happy (if you can…seriously, I know it’s a sizeable undertaking getting your whole tribe ready for this…that’s reason #74 on the list of why i adore you !).

Something to remember, I’ll keep things moving but if your children get antsy/meltdown/whatever, take it in stride…I’ve seen it all and it’s all happened at my house too!  It’s common to want to say “Just 2 more minutes and then we’re headed to ice cream!” but if you do, children check out…they want to get to the ice cream and I’m standing in their way so keep post-session surprises (which I totally recommend), a true surprise!

I’m fine in everything except rain…we try to make that call as late as possible because so often when it seems like definite wet weather is headed our way, it actually ends up being beautiful.  That said, please feel free to look out the window before your start getting ready!  This is another plus to sessions at home – we can shoot away without any concern for what’s happening outside!

If you send over photos of places you might want to put photographs in your home, we can mock-up images from your session so you can see a preview of what it would look like.

A few tips: Please don’t feel like you need to straighten the room!  Promise – we want this to be easy!  The biggest help is putting an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper on the wall so we can tell what size to make the images and shoot the wall straight on.

We love wall displays that grow or incorporate your life together past and present so don’t feel like you need to start from scratch…maybe 2 or three images is the perfect addition to something you’ve already started.  In my home, I include images from vacations, birthdays & funny memories in addition to my family so it feels most like us and not a simple timeline of how we looked but more true to our story as a family and reminds us of happy times as we pass by it everyday.

Our time to chat on the phone is for that exact purpose – sessions are so much better when we start with a plan so that’s why I love carving out time beforehand to get all our ducks in a row.

And let me know *anything* – if your husband is a blinker, or your child’s smile is like a pirate (which is so indicative of certain ages and totally adorable but I know you’d like some variety!)…it helps if I have that information beforehand so I’m well prepared.

Thank you for being vulnerable and real around me – it makes the photos we make together so much better!

…send me an email with the clothing you have planned laid out on a bed or the floor…really!  I’ll let you know if anything pulls my eye and maybe sticks out or if I’m worried about how it will read on camera :)

Anything last minute is tough but if it’s a few days in advance, I’ll always be able to get a reply back to you!

I’m sure you’ve already come across how much I love shooting at your home (less worry about weather…and not just rain but cold & hot humid days!, it feels instantly unique to you and personal…) but there are a number of spots in Lexington I can recommend (UK Arboretum, downtown, the Henry Clay Estate, Waveland, Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill)…and sometimes just an open field is the ticket!