Family photography is a little time capsule for families, a way for every member to be able to return to meaningful family moments. Our goal is to create a wonderful family portraits experience for everyone from mom and dad, to the grandparents, to the kids – whether they are energetic toddlers, pre-teens, teenagers, or young adults. In this blog, we’ll go through the family photography experience in a little more depth so you are prepared for every step of the process.
Photography Consultation
After getting the initial details usually by email, the family photography experience always starts with a scheduled phone call or in-person consultation – you get to choose! During the call we dive into exactly what you would like your family photos to look like – there are no limits to creativity or customizations, we want you to love all your photos.
Some clients choose to take photos highlighting the beautiful Chicago skyline, and architecture, or opt for natural atmosphere. For outdoor family portraits in Chicago such as the ones below, we always give clients suggestions for best Chicago photo locations.
For clients who want something different – we create a photo set in a studio space in Wicker Park – the options are endless! Sometimes you’ll find us working with a fun colored backdrop, sometimes we build seasonal sets or create something totally unique that represents our client’s family dynamic. This client in the picture below wanted as much color as possible!
The Family Portraits Chicago Session
Once we’ve discussed all your family picture preferences we send you a little guide on how to get dressed – this way you have zero stress about what to wear for the big day and always answer any remaining questions you may have.
On the day of the session, we take the lead! We’ll help you pose in a way that looks natural, feel totally relaxed in front of the camera, and let you have fun with games or prompts. While most family portrait sessions take an hour we don’t time the session. Sometimes for families who have very young children 15-30 minutes is all that they can handle – so we always work with what is comfortable for the family. And no worries if the little kids misbehave, we come prepared with toys and prompts to get the best photos of them!
We also always vary the poses so there is a nice balance between posed photos of everyone looking at the camera with smiles, and also capture genuine laughter and expressions. This gives families a nice variety of photos to choose from – the unposed photos often reveal the sweetest moments between parents and children.
Family Portraits Chicago: Reveal & Ordering Appointment
From the moment the session is over, we turn on our creativity and literally obsess with perfecting each photo! Every image is enhanced with color adjustments, artistically cropped, and cleaned up – pieces of litter, crumbs on kids’ faces, clothing wrinkles, and anything distracting is always removed. Within a week we schedule an appointment with you to see your photos for the very first time. During the meeting, you get first to see the anticipated photos in a custom slideshow!
Once you’ve gotten a chance to enjoy photos, we go through and help you choose your favorite family pictures. If you choose to, we then help you select artwork for your home. Clients often choose gorgeous framed pieces and Fine Art Albums that feature all the images from the session. Digital photography is delivered to you right away while custom artwork is delivered 4-8 weeks after the ordering appointment. Once you receive everything the photography and artwork are yours to enjoy and keep!
The Family Portraits Chicago Experience, Conclusion
The family portraits experience is designed to be flexible and customizable to every family, so you receive the photos you were dreaming of to love every day. Our goal for your family photos is not merely to take pictures but to give the entire family an unforgettable and stress-free experience in which we collaborate to create timeless photography that brings you a smile.
If you’ve been searching for a “photographer near me for family” – I’d love to talk! Just click here to get in contact with me. My family sessions fill up fast so don’t wait too long! If you’re just looking for some photoshoot inspiration check out my family page here!
Hey There!
Hi, I'm Mariya! I'm a Chicago family portrait photographer. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've grabbed a good cup of tea or coffee as you browse through the blog :)