Family Session | PS Photography

The PS Photography Family Session Guide

Family sessions aren’t about having perfectly behaved kids, perfect outfits, or everyone smiling at the camera at the exact same time. They’re about your family as you are right now. At PS Photography, our goal is to create images that feel warm, natural, connected, and true to you—the big smiles, little laughs, cuddles, personalities, and those in-between moments that often become the biggest memories. If you have a family session coming up, this guide will help you feel prepared without overthinking it.

Family Session | Sun Prairie, WI | PS Photography — Family Session | Turtle Creek Parkway, Janesville | PS Photography

Before Your Family Session

Once your session is booked, we’ll help you prepare for the experience. You don’t need to arrive knowing exactly what to do—that’s our job!

Before your session:

Choose outfits ahead of time so you aren’t scrambling on session day.
Make sure everyone has eaten, especially younger children.
Bring water and a few mess-free snacks for little ones.
Give yourself extra time to get ready and arrive.
Empty pockets of phones, keys, wallets, and other bulky items.
Let us know about anything important we should know about your family before your session.

Most importantly, try not to put too much pressure on the kids—or yourselves.

What Should We Wear?

You don't need perfectly matching outfits to create beautiful family photographs. In fact, we usually recommend coordinating rather than matching. Start with one person's outfit and build the rest of the family's clothing around it. Choose a few complementary colors and mix in different textures and layers.

Think about:

Neutral and earthy tones
Soft or rich colors that complement one another
Simple patterns mixed with solid colors
Sweaters, cardigans, denim, or textured fabrics
Clothing everyone feels comfortable and confident wearing

Try to avoid large logos, neon colors, distracting graphics, and having everyone wear the exact same color. And remember—you still want to look like your family. Don't choose something simply because you think it's what you're "supposed" to wear for photos.

“But My Kids Won’t Cooperate for Pictures…”

We hear this one a lot. Your children do not need to sit perfectly still and smile at the camera for the entire session. Kids are kids. They may need a break. They might be shy at first. They might want to explore. Someone may decide they're completely finished with pictures halfway through. That's okay. We work with your children instead of expecting them to perform for the camera. Depending on their age and personality, we may play, move around, ask silly questions, give them little jobs, or simply give them a few minutes to warm up. Sometimes the photograph you end up loving most happens when nobody was trying to create the "perfect" picture.

During Your Session

Your session will include a combination of gently posed portraits and more natural interactions. Sue tends to bring a more posed approach to sessions, while Phil loves watching for candid moments, color, contrast, and a more cinematic feel. Together, those perspectives help create the PS Photography style: genuine, connected, timeless, storytelling, warm, and natural. We may photograph everyone together as well as different combinations depending on your family and collection. We'll guide you when guidance is needed, but we'll also give your family room to interact naturally. You don't need to know where to put your hands. You don't need to know how to pose. And you definitely don't need to spend the entire session saying, “Smile!” to your kids. We've got you.

Let the Little Moments Happen

Some of our favorite images aren't necessarily the ones where everyone is looking directly at the camera. They're the ones where your child reaches for your hand. The laugh after someone says something ridiculous. The way your little one snuggles into you. The sibling interaction that happens when they forget we're taking pictures. We'll absolutely work toward those classic family portraits, but we'll also watch for the moments happening in between. Because those little moments have a funny way of becoming the biggest memories.

After Your Session

After your session, PS Photography carefully selects and edits your best images. We remove duplicates, test shots, missed-focus images, closed-eye images, and other unusable photographs before completing your gallery. Your finished photographs are edited in the warm, natural, true-to-color style you've come to expect from PS Photography. Depending on your Moments Collection, you'll receive your included digital images or gallery along with information about your Complimentary Artwork Credit.

Bringing Your Photos Off the Screen

Your photographs deserve to be enjoyed somewhere other than your phone. Your Complimentary Artwork Credit can be used toward professional products available through your gallery's print store, giving you the opportunity to turn your favorite images into something tangible.

Consider using your credit toward:

Professional prints
Framed photographs
Canvas wall art
Albums or photo books
Gift prints
Holiday cards and other available products

There's no requirement for your home to suddenly become a photography showroom. Even one favorite photograph on the wall or a small collection of prints can make these memories part of your everyday life.

Ready to Capture Your Family's Moments?

You don't have to wait until everyone loses ten pounds, the kids reach the "perfect" age, you find the perfect outfits, or life becomes less busy. Your family is worth photographing right now. Come as you are. We'll take care of the rest.

Beautifully Natural. Authentically You.

PS Photography | Family Photography

Moments Collections

Family Session Guide