Do what you enjoy!

Our number one tip for having a successful lifestyle photo shoot is to make sure you do what you love! What that means is to do something that is natural to you. If you and your family love a specific local spot then go there! If you have younger kids that love to race around on their bikes then bring them along! Integrating your passions or favorite things to do into your shoot will help get more comfortable and natural photos.

Think of your story!

Once you figure out where you want to do your lifestyle photo shoot think about what type of story you want to tell. If your taking birthday photos then think about what you want people to know. You may be turning 21 but what does that mean for you? Are you growing into your career or starting a new chapter? Figure out how to tell those stories.

Prep your space!

If you are doing a photo shoot with your kids or other people in a home or other private space then make sure you set the scene before you bring them in. Kids know when they are going to have photos taken of them especially if your stopping to clean or move things. It will ruin the flow of the moment and make it harder for you to get more natural photos.

Don't worry about repeating a moment.

A huge part of lifestyle or portrait photography is capturing real life emotion. If you are in the middle of a shoot and realize that you don't like the way you looked or something and try and repeat a moment the photo will no longer look natural and won't have real emotions in it.

Put together a pinterest board with some inspiration!

I know what your thinking. Who uses pinterest any more? Just kidding, but creating a board with photos or ideas that you like and sending it to your photographer ahead of time will give them an idea of the type of moments you might be looking to capture.