I am completely serious when I say that the BEST, most authentic, and most enjoyable family photo sessions are the ones where it is clear kids AND parents are having fun! You don’t have to re-invent the wheel to allow yourselves to have this much fun either, as this awesome family so perfectly demonstrates. Here are my top five tips for making your next family photo shoot as much fun as it should be:

1. Hold the photo session somewhere where you can relax…like at home. I don’t know why, but most families tend to overlook their homes as a prime location for their family pictures. Why pack everything and everyone up and fight Austin traffic and risk potentially bad weather when you could just stay in the comfort of your own home? Even if your home isn’t finished to your liking…even if it’s a rental…even if you think it’s a mess, home is usually the place where everyone feels comfortable enough to come out of their shells. If you have young children, home is probably the safest place, too.

2. Be in the pictures WITH your children! Your kiddos want to cut up and play around WITH you and how can you expect them to be invested in this whole photo session thing if you’re not willing to take part, too? Plus, I promise, 30 years down the road, the photos that your children will look at the most (and perhaps with their own kiddos) will be the pictures that include YOU.

3. Let your kids do what they like to do. That’s easy enough. This mommy told me her boys love their bubble machine and their little bounce house, so you can be sure we incorporated that into their photos. Allowing children to do what is familiar and treasured not only helps them relax and enjoy the session, but it also helps me as the photographer to capture very important memories for them.

4. Dress comfortably! Why are these boys smiling so much here? Um, probably because they’re not fidgeting with itchy clothes and uncomfortable collars. I mean, how cool is it that mom let them wear their very favorite super hero t-shirts? (HUGE bonus points for that decision, mom!!) Even big kids like to wear what is comfortable–notice dad isn’t in a stiff, button down shirt and he looks pretty happy, too ;-).

5. It is what it is. I find that frustrations and tantrums (from kids AND adults 😉 tend to arise during a photo shoot when we’re trying to force something that isn’t there. Just relax and let engage you and your kiddos in fun family interactions and see what unfolds. Lifestyle photography should be an organic process. You can’t expect your little ones to be smiling in *every* single picture we take, but I assure you that if we let it happen naturally, the smiles that we do get will be their REAL smiles and seeing those kinds of images will bring a smile to your face as well.

So again, kuddos to mom and dad and their oh-so-charming boys pictured here for making this the perfect reflection of what family photography is all about! [Don’t miss my favorite bounce house pic HERE. And my ULTIMATE favorite bubble pic maybe EVER HERE.]

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One last thing: I think I have just a handful of openings left for the Winter Wonderland Holiday Mini sessions. And that is just incredible.