Why Have All Your Family Photos Taken by the Same Photographer
Family portraits will be heirlooms you treasure as your family grows up, and everyone has tips and tricks for how to make sure your family photos are the best they can be. You’ll hear advice from posing tips to strategies for helping your kids smile and follow instructions during the session. But there’s one piece of advice that I’ve found is particularly effective: when you find a photographer whose work you like, hire that same photographer for each year or each photo session. Here’s why.
Keeping the Same Artistic Style
Photography is an art form, and just as every painter has their own style, each photographer has their own style too. When you work with the same photographer for each family photo session, you’ll be able to tell that the portraits have the same style. This gives you a more consistent look when you’re displaying your photos together, such as on a gallery wall, in a print series, or in an album.
2. Building Familiarity Between Your Family and the Photographer
Your family portraits should show a glimpse into each chapter of your family’s life, capturing your personalities and what makes your family special to all of you. The better your photographer knows your family, the better they’ll be able to capture these unique qualities on the camera. More familiarity also makes your photo sessions smoother and more enjoyable because your kids (and you) will be more comfortable with a photographer you already know.
3. Allowing Your Photographer to Learn Your Tastes
As a photographer, I always aim to create portraits that my clients love in both an aesthetic and sentimental way. The more I work with a family, the better I can learn what types of portraits they like best. Maybe candid photos hold a special place in their hearts, or maybe there’s a particular type of lighting that they enjoy. With each session, I’ll learn more about your tastes so I can tailor the next session even better.
4. Making Your Life Easier
Hiring the same photographer for each family photo session can help you get better and more personal family portraits for all of the reasons above. But for busy young families (all young families, that is), convenience is important too! When you hire the same photographer each time, you skip the step of researching photographers in your area and trying to figure out which ones are a good fit for your family. You also skip the stress of not knowing what to expect or knowing whether you’ve chosen the right photographer. Working with the same photographer each time is easier on your schedule as well as your stress.
5. Choosing a Lifelong Family Photographer
As a Seattle area family photographer, while I love all of my clients’ families, my most special sessions are always with the families that I’ve worked with multiple times before. Each session with these families feels like a reconnection with old friends, and it’s such a delight to watch their children grow and to create meaningful artwork for them. I’d love to serve your family in this way too, so contact Jaimié Birtel Photography and let’s chat!