3 of 3: What I did differently the day of the session | Burke, Virginia Family Photographer

If this is your first time on my blog, then you are currently reading Part 3 in a series I wrote after having our own family photos taken. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 so you get the whole picture (pun intended). After being in front of the camera for our family photos instead of behind the camera, I gained a lot of insight and perspective. I carefully paid attention to what I did leading up to the session in order to help you with your family photos. 

I treated the day of our session all about the session itself. I worked backwards off the time we arranged and left plenty of time to get ready, make sure the kids were fed, and relax. Here are some things (don’t judge me on these!) that I did for our session that I don’t normally do:
– Put on make up. I rarely wear make up, but I wanted a little bit to help my features stand out. I applied a natural eyeshadow, light mascara, blush, and lip gloss.
– Ironed our clothes. Yep, I told you not to judge. I never iron. I just hate doing it and my husband doesn’t need to iron his clothes for work. But for our photos that will be hung on our walls? Yes, I ironed. My dress needed it bad and the girls only a little. 
– Had my older girl nap. She recently turned 4 and doesn’t take a nap anymore. I made sure we had something to do in the morning that would make her tired and it worked. Even if she just rested quietly I would have been fine with that. 
– Made dinner earlier. We were on vacation during our session so I actually made and froze dinner before we left home. The evening of our session we just pulled it out and baked it. While everyone (read: mom) was getting ready, no one had to worry about making dinner. 
– Had an afternoon cup of coffee. This 100% happened because I didn’t get to nap even though I tried. I wanted to at least LOOK well-rested and if it wasn’t real then coffee was going to make it look real!

I hope this was helpful as you prepare for your own family session.

Photos from our session below with the wonderful Mal Jack Photography.