It’s always important to step outside of one’s comfort zone and try new things. And for artists, it’s important to stretch our creativity too. That’s why I was so excited to be a part of this shootout event. A shootout isn’t what it sounds like! It’s not a violent experience or a basketball competition. In the photography world, a shootout is when a bunch of photographers get together and photograph the same thing. Usually, there is a model or a few models involved and a specific setting or situation. In this case, we did a lifestyle family session and a lifestyle couples session (which I’ll be blogging next week, so keep a look out!). It was so fun to break some of my own rules and step out of the box a bit!
Lifestyle Family Session
Typically, my approach to family photography sessions is posed portraits, where the outfits are coordinated and everyone is in flattering positions. I make sure to tell funny jokes and be extra silly for the kids, to get those great, natural smiles from everyone. My clients love this style for holiday cards and wall art, but it’s not the right fit for every family. With a lifestyle family session, there is a bit of positioning and directing but for the most part, it is documentary style. That means the photographer isn’t telling anyone what to do and is instead just capturing what they are already doing. This usually works best in the home and with families with young kids. These sessions are a lot of fun and a great option for families who don’t want to think about locations and outfits.
To make sure the photos didn’t end up being of everyone sitting on the couch for an hour, we built in a few activities to keep things fun and interesting. The twins, Alice and Rocco, had lots of fun toys to play with. Alice loved playing with her antique doll house and coloring books. Rocco had a blast with his blocks and trains. This house also had a swing in it! I’d never seen that before. It was just the coolest thing! The whole family had a great time taking turns on the swing and playing together. We also had a secret weapon – bubbles! Everyone loves bubbles and they were a really fun activity for the kids, plus they made for some great photos!
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