​If you’re preparing for a photo session with your children, you may be feeling a bit apprehensive. Children aren’t always easy to deal with, which is why the below tips will definitely come in handy before your upcoming photo session. 

​1. Don't make a huge deal out of it.If you're stressed out and cranky, your kids will usually pick up on it and act accordingly. Their behavior will usually be better if you are relaxed and having fun. You may have to make some compromises to keep the peace such as letting your energetic daughter's hair stay straight instead of curling it into because she won't sit still. Focus on the big picture and don't sweat the small stuff. 

​2. Make it fun.Let the kids have a couple “fun pictures” where they get to pick their own pose or props. You get to keep the more serious photos while they get to keep their silly photos. This way everyone wins.  If you are struggling to get your kids to sit still, turn the photo session into a game. Simon Says usually works like a charm. 

3. Be prepared.  If you're going to be out for several hours, ensure that your children are well rested and have had their nap. Bringing some snacks and activities along is also a great idea. If you are having your own photos taken too then you might want to bring a babysitter or family member along to watch the kids. If you happen to be shooting in a remote location, you never know when you might need something like bug spray, tissues or a first aid kit so bring that along too.

​4. Be patient.Save your sanity by trying not to control the photo session too much. Sometimes the best photos come from kids just doing their own thing. Work with your photographer and your photos will look fantastic. 

​5.  Have a chat.Get your children talking to both you and the photographer about topics such as school or their favorite songs. This allows them to feel more comfortable around your photographer and will also give your photographer a chance to capture a few candid and cute expressions.

I just want to talk to you guys a little bit about a new idea I'm really excited about. Vision Boards!! Something I know a lot of my clients struggle with is how to decide and express what kind of look they're hoping for with their Engagement, family, or child photography session. Do I wan't a modern look, a romantic look, vintage? What kind of clothing and what location will help make my ideas a reality? How do I explain all this to Karah? Easy, Vision Boards! Go to Pinterest and make an account if you don't have one. Then start searching. If you have no idea what your vision is yet, try searching for something basic like "Engagement Photography ideas". Here's what I saw when I searched that phrase

I know how stressful but wonderful those first few weeks with your baby can be so I try to make everything as easy as possible when it comes to your photography session. So, here is a step-by-step guide to help you through it. 

1. Review the price list you received when you inquired about photos with Karah Couch Photography and decide whether you want a baby session or baby and family session.
2. As soon as possible after the birth of your baby call Karah Couch Photography and let me know. The best time to photograph a newborn is in the first 10 days of life. There are exceptions to the rule, such as if your baby spends time in the NICU, but in general we will want to schedule your session as soon as possible. 
3. Don't worry about making sure your house is clean or picked up for me. I've been a new mom so trust me, I am not judging. 
4. Do gather any special items that you definitely want your baby photographed with
5. Click Here to head over to my newborn photography survey and fill me in on your baby's details as soon as you can. 
6. If you have chosen to do a baby and family session, choose neutral clothing for yourself and your older children. Try to choose solid colors in the same family for everyone being photographed. For mom and siblings I will sometimes choose to wrap you in a neutral colored fabric and clip it behind you if that is something you are comfortable with. If dad or siblings choose, they can go topless.
7. On the day of your session please try to keep your little one awake for at least 2 hours before I arrive. I know this may seem like an impossible task but trust me, it will make our session go so much more smoothly. Some tips on keeping baby awake: undress them, give them a massage, keep the lights on, talk to baby and make eye contact. 
8. After I arrive feed baby while I set up, that way we'll end up with a full and sleepy baby. 
9. Try to relax, I'll take it from here.

If you're expecting or have a newborn and you haven't booked a newborn photography session yet Click Here to read about what a session with Karah Couch Photography is like and  contact me to get the ball rolling

We all want to have the best photos possible of ourselves and our families and the first step to that is hiring a great photographer. After that there are some things you can do to make sure you get exactly what you're looking for. 

Location

The number one question most people have is "where will we take our photos?" Of course, some clients book an appointment knowing exactly the spot they want their photos taken. If that's you, that's great! If not there are a few things to think about. 
Urban, Natural, or Studio
A Natural area is something like a field, beach, or forest area. Natural backgrounds are great for capturing interaction between families. They're simple and draw focus to the person or people in the image. The Golden hour is the best time to take photos in a natural setting

Urban areas are alleys and cool buildings. They add texture and dimension to your photos and you tend to get more variety in your background. Urban areas are great for families and senior portraits, not so much for babies. 

A portable studio can be set up in your home with a white or black background. Studio shoots can be done anytime of day since they are lit artificially. I do not recommend studio sessions for family portraits since they look a bit dated but they can be great for babies and are an absolute must for newborns

Once you've decided What type of setting you want you may get some ideas about where you want your session to be. If you don't, don't worry. I have a pretty extensive list of great places to shoot photos so you can let me know what type of setting you want and I can choose the perfect location near you.

What to Wear

Few elements in planning your photography session are agonized over more than what to wear. My number one piece of advice is Coordinate, Don't match. You don't have to wear the same outfit. For many years that was the portrait photography style, everyone wears matching outfits usually black or white. Since then things have loosened up. There are no hard rules about what you must wear but there are a few guidelines to follow. Make sure the type of clothes everyone is wearing goes together. If some of your are dressy, you should all be dressy. If some are casual, you should all be casual. As for colors the main thing is not to clash with each other. Try laying out all the outfits next to each other to see how they look together. Some helpful tips are to avoid overly bright colors a lime green or hot pink is going to overwhelm you in a photo. You want people looking at you, not your clothes. If you're the kind of person who has trouble deciding if colors go well together or want to be absolutely sure they will look good, heres a little trick. The good old color wheel. 

Colors across from each other look good together. Choose two colors from the wheel and a neutral like brown, black, white, or tan. Now, not everyone should wear all of these colors. Try having each person wear some combination of the colors so that when the group is all together we get them all. Or if you're really into choosing your colors try visiting this site for a really fun way to get color ideas that all look great together. 

Kids

We want to capture your child's personality not just big cheesy smiles. So don't worry if it takes a little while for them to warm up. I recommend making sure they eat right before your sessions so they don't get hungry in the middle of it. Bring an extra outfit and a favorite toy. You never know what could happen during a shoot that could mess up that perfect outfit you picked out. A child could trip and get dirty or if we're talking about babies we could have a spit up or blowout situation so make sure you have a backup. For young Children a photo shoot can be a bit scary at first. Some stranger is pointing this big machine at them. So bring along a favorite toy for comfort, we may not need it but it can help. 

During the Session 

The Length of your session will be determined by which package you choose but its important to not try to rush through it. I want to make sure that your photos are the best they can be which means a lot of attention to detail. Sometimes I also like to hang back a bit sometimes and let you interact with each other or let children play. Sometimes the best photos are the candid ones. 

​After Your Session

Okay! so we took your photos and had lots of fun, now what? It will take around two weeks for your photos to be ready to be viewed. What am I doing during these two weeks? Well, I may have other photo sessions but I'll also be editing and retouching your photos. While I don't do extensive retouching generally, there are some things that need to be done to every photo to make them look their best. A bit or color correction and smoothing can make a world of difference so it really is worth the wait. 

Buying Your Photos

Choosing your photos is not easy. Not only can it be difficult to choose between images, deciding on products can be even harder. I come to your home and sit down with you to help you sort all that out for no extra fee. We'll go through your photos together and talk about how you hope to display them, where you want to put them, if you like flat prints or canvas. If you'd like an album and if so what kind. You can even invite other people over to help or buy some for themselves (grandparents) While it may seem like a pain to set up another appointment trust me when I say that in my experience, clients are much happier when they've had a little help.

So now that you're prepared, Book an Appointment today

What is the Golden hour
The Golden hour is that magic time twice a day when we all look our absolute best in photos. Approximatly one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset when the sun is low in the sky. What makes golden hour light so great?

• Well, first of all its soft. Since it has to travel through more atmosphere the light rays spread out and soften meaning they don't leave harsh shadows like the ones in the photo below.  Plus, when the light is soft you can look right into it without squinting.
• .  Second, Golden hour light is warm in color. on its way through the atmosphere more of the blue wavelengths are lost and scattered leaving more of a red/yellow tone. Those shades of light are universally flattering, making people look like they have a nice tan.
• Thirdly, Golden hour light is dimensional. Shadows are longer and soften than they are during midday giving photos a more three dimensional effect.

What if I can't schedule my photos during golden hour!?
No worries. While the golden hour really is ideal its not always possible to take photos then. But there is something you can do to mitigate those middle of the day issues, find some open shade. Open shade is a large area of uniform shade. You can use shade from a tree but be careful for stippled light coming through the branches like in the photo below. 

make sure to set the white balance on your camera to shade so that your photos don't come out too blue. You can get beautiful photos in open shade but try to occasionally get out there during the golden hour, you won't regret it.
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Don't forget to enter the Contest to win a Mini Session on our Facebook page. There's only three more days to enter!!​