Family photos are more than just pictures. They capture memories, emotions, and moments that we can cherish for a lifetime. They remind us of our loved ones, our experiences, and our journey. Family photos are a way to preserve our history and pass it on to future generations. They are a testament to the importance of family and the love that binds us together.
Booking your family session:
Whether you’re a new family with a little one or two hugging your legs or a busy well-established family hoping to catch everyone in the same spot for 30 seconds, we understand time is a thief and capturing all the moments of your life is important. We don’t need to tell you how fast children grow from infant to toddler, and then before you know it your child will be getting on the school bus or driving to their last day of high school. The moments click by almost as fast as the shutter on our cameras.
With so many things to do every day from nap schedules to sporting events, it’s hard to make time to get together for family photos. Let’s work together and find a time that works with your family schedule. Ashley Klaasen Photography is a one-woman enterprise so it’s much easier for us to work into your busy schedule than you into ours. By scheduling 4-6 weeks in advance, this ensures the most flexibility for everyone.
How do you schedule then with Ashley Klaasen Photography? First, contacting Ashley Klaasen Photography is a great step. The most ideal way to contact Ashley is through phone (269)366.5291 or email Ashley@AshleyKlaasenPhotography.com
When contacting Ashley, there are a few key things she’ll ask. What type of session are you most interested in? If you’re contacting her for a family session, then that’s an easy question!
The next thing to know is how many will be attending the session and what are their ages? This is very important because then Ashley will be able to guide you to the right session time. With Ashley Klaasen Photography, we offer 30-minute, 60-minute, and 90-minute family sessions. The amount of time you need for your session depends on how big your group will be and how old everyone is. If you have a group of 4 with 2 adults and 2 kids under the age of 10 years old, a 30-minute session would be ideal. Kids have a short attention span and tolerance for long sessions so short and sweet allows enough time without creating overly grumpy children (or husbands).
If you have a group of 8-12, a 60-minute session would be sufficient while groups of 13 or more will be required to book a 90-minute session. In rare occasions, if a group of 13 or more is only adults, a 60-minute session may be ok.
Once you decide on the length of your session, you’ll need to decide how many digital images you would like. This isn’t a hard set in stone number but by deciding at the time of booking you will save money in the long run.
Preparing for your family session:
Unlike a newborn or baby session, you will need to decide what you want to wear and what your family will wear to your session.
When choosing what to wear for a photoshoot, you need to consider things like the environment you’ll be in, the weather, colors, patterns, and more. It can seem daunting, but we are here to help!
First consider your environment and the weather. If it’s the middle of winter with beautiful white snow on the ground and 25 degrees Fahrenheit outside, you’re not going to want to wear short sleeves. You also don’t want to wear heavy, puffy winter coats either so where is the balance. In this specific instance, layers are strongly encouraged! Put long-johns under pants, fleece lined tights on little girls in dresses and even a long-sleeved shirt or thermal under a sweater. This will help kids to be more willing to stay outside longer. Bring blankets for any kids not having their photo taken. In the same thought, you wouldn’t want to dress in winter clothes in the middle of summer or on a warm fall day.
You also want to consider colors and patterns among the people in the photos. Choose one or two colors that run throughout all the outfits or select three primary shades that blend well together. Complementary colors can make sure people are the focus of the photo rather than their clothes. With patterns on clothing, small patterns can get lost on camera, so shoot for medium to large patterns or simple colored dresses. Limit the number of different patterns so they don’t distract away from the true focus, you as a family.
If you ever have a question, you are more than welcome to email or text any clothing photos and options for our opinion!
If you have children at the napping age, watch your kids for a few days before booking your session to help determine when they are at their best. Most of the time, that’s in the morning after breakfast and before lunch. If we have little ones coming in for a session, we encourage them between 10am and 11am.
Sometimes morning sessions just aren’t possible for your family and if that’s the case, make sure to not skip the afternoon nap and if you have non-napping kids, have them have quiet time so they aren’t out of energy and cranky by the end of the day.
Like a happy newborn, food is typically a great motivator to kids. Not just any food either…their FAVORITE food. For the younger kids under 4 years old, having snacks at the session is helpful. This is a great bribery tool to keep them smiling and happy. Try to bring non-sticky and clean food. Fruit snacks, goldfish, gram crackers and similar snacks to those are great options. Kids can quickly eat one in a few seconds, and it leaves little to no trail. Older kids normally just want to leave so giving them a treat after the session tends to be motivation enough to get in, smile, and get out!
Arriving at your session:
The biggest thing when arriving at your family session is RELAX! Especially, those with young children. When you’re stressed and worked up, your kids will be stressed and worked up too. This makes it less likely for them to be willing to cooperate.
So RELAX!
Upon arriving to your location, Ashley will greet you and we’ll start walking to your photo shoot spot. Typically, all shooting locations are within 25-50 yards of where you parked but, in some instances, like Asylum Lake Preserve, if you meet at the Drake parking lot, we may walk towards to woods right on the edge of the field and trees. You will know in advance the distance to your session will be, if you need to bring a change of shoes, please plan accordingly.
The family session:
Ashley is great with kids! She is patient with them, understanding that some will be more reserved, and others will be running wild. Again, don’t stress and let Ashley do her magic! After arriving to where your background is, the order of photos will be different for each family. Sometimes, Ashley will start with the whole family because the little one just wants to be attached to mom and dad. Other times, if a big brother or sister is present, capturing them be brave while little sibling is watching helps create a safe environment for the younger ones.
We are not above bribery! Often, we’ll have candy, fruit snacks, or the promise of suckers to get kids (and adults) to smile. We ALWAYS ask permission first before bribing. This is not a requirement for success – it’s just helpful. If you’re not comfortable with the treats provided, we are not offended by a simple, “No thank you. “ We also don’t jump right into bribery as some kids don’t need it, but it is helpful to have in our back pocket.
Be goofy with your kids! Laugh, tickle, dance, and just be a family. The best photos are the ones where you’re just breathing and being yourselves. We know this is easier said than done, so we’ll give prompts like “look at the funniest one in the family” or “tickle the one who sleeps in the latest”. This makes each member of the family smile, laugh, and look lovingly at each other. In other photos, we might be more serious, and, in those moments, Ashley will guide you. It will feel weird and awkward but on camera it’s often the photos families love the most!
If you have a child crying, embrace it! One of Ashley’s favorite family photos on displayed in her house, her son is crying but it looks to everyone else that he’s laughing. You just never know how they will turn out and if we haven’t stressed it enough, we want you to relax and let us stress about everything else!!!
Knowing how to prepare for your session and what will happen once there, you’re ready to book your session! Contact me today and let’s capture and preserve your families’ moments before time steals them away.
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