Okinawa Japan Family Photographer Secrets

You only need to type "family photography" into google to see that there are literally hundreds of family photographers to choose from.

Here are some of the things you should be thinking about when planning your family photo shoot:

Studio or Outdoor - Do you like studio photography or do you prefer natural surroundings? Whether you live a city or in the country, you will have access to beautiful outside spaces, which make great locations for family photo shoots.
Style - Do you like a contemporary or traditional style? Look at examples on photographer's websites and shortlist the names whose work you like.
Budget - What is your budget? Assume you will like the photos and will naturally want to have some (or all) of them to keep. Compare prices of photographers that you like.
Finished Products - What do you want to have at the end of the shoot - a single, large framed print on the wall, a variety of framed prints (storyboard), the digital images to share with family and friends?
Once you have decided on the above, you can search more specifically online (for example, searching specifically for studio photographers or contemporary photographers). Look at photographers websites to see if you like their work and to confirm whether they suit your budget and product requirements. Also ask your friends - word of mouth is a great way to get recommended photographers.

Get in touch to confirm any outstanding questions that you have once you have a shortlist of portrait photographers. Some points to bear in mind and ask for clarification are:

Session Fees - be aware that free or very low session fees could mean higher product prices
Product Prices - are these available on the website? If not, clarify. Be wary of "prices start from ₤ x". It might be a good idea to think about what you will likely want and check that price specifically, for example, a 20x16inch frame.
Digital images - if these are available, does that include printing rights, are the images high resolution?
Availability - some portrait photographers may be booked in advance, so have some dates in mind
Clothing - ask your photographer if they have any advice on what you should wear for the shoot. I usually advise comfort, something that you like, plain rather than patterned, cute accessories for children such as hats and being aware that bold logos and fashion fads will date more quickly.
Products - clarify how long it takes for products to be ready, particularly if you have a deadline such as a birthday present in mind.
Specifics - if you have any other questions on your mind, just ask for advice. For example, sometimes I am asked if the family dog can be involved or I am told that one child in particular is very camera shy. Any information more info like that is useful.

Whenever there is some great family event, or someone just wants to keep a memory alive, taking a few shots is what allows those who were not present to feel that they were part of the event. Of course, finding someone who can do this professionally is the key to having something which will last forever so check out 'family photographer' or 'baby photographer' online to see what is available.

With children, they pass milestone birthdays every year of course and relatives love to have a memory of this. When they are tiny grow into carefully set shots amongst antique toys etc as they grow older, cute naked shots. These are usually done by a professional who knows about dressing sets etc. Many will have special offers where they take a number of shots and they allow the relatives to choose which ones are to be enlarged to hang on walls or to adorn the home.

For group shots which include the parents and the kids, special techniques are used to keep the children all looking in the same direction or to get them to smile all at the same time. This may be difficult for the amateur to do since it does take some time and patience to get them in order. Many kids will not sit quiet for people they know so sometimes it needs a stranger to take over so that a perfect picture can be taken.

Even weddings need someone who can control a crowd of individuals since most people get excited about seeing relatives that they have not seen for some time. Getting them all to group in the right fashion takes a bit of a sergeant major to control them and they do tend to listen to strangers more than listening to an aunt or uncle whose voice gets lost in the melee.

Letting a relative take the shots is maybe not a good idea since they could have something go wrong. If after a wedding there was nothing useable to look at, imagine the upset. The happy couple would be heartbroken and no one would be able to order something to remember the day by.

Getting a professional may look a little costly to some people. If one takes the cost of the whole day, it seems a little penny-pinching to leave something so important to a relative merely to save some dollars. Most professionals have insurance cover too so that should anything go wrong on the day, the whole event can be run again with the money claimed back from the insurance company. This is a very rare occurrence indeed, but disasters do strike now and then and what better way to guard against this than by having full insurance cover.

Even those shots of children through school and college get to be very important to the person as they get older. It is good to have something to remind you of a happy time which is great to look back on and even better to show the kids when they are old enough too.

Once you have decided on the above, you can search more specifically online (for example, searching specifically for studio photographers or contemporary photographers). Ask your friends - word of mouth is a great way to get recommended photographers.

Once you have decided on the above, you can search more specifically online (for example, searching specifically for studio photographers or contemporary photographers). Ask your friends - word of mouth is a great way to get recommended photographers.

Of course, finding someone who can do this professionally is the key to having something which will last forever so check out 'family photographer' or 'baby photographer' online to see what is available.