Photography: The First "Real" Shoot

Contributed by Lisa

I recently had the pleasure of taking photos of a friend and her gorgeous family. I only had experience taking pictures of my own little toddler, so photographing a family of four was a whole new experience for me. This was my first "real" shoot and I was so nervous because I really could not have predicted how it would go.

The nice thing about using a friend's family for your first shoot is that it takes some of the pressure off: most likely they will be understanding if you suffer a major anxiety attack or you accidentally delete all of the images off your card (my two biggest fears that day!).

My equipment used in the shoot was a Canon rebel xsi and 50 mm 1.8 lens.

Here are some of the photos from the day...

I was more then pleased with how the photos turned out. I loved the setting and the family was so beautiful! We were shooting in 80+ degree weather in the middle of the desert in December. These kids were troopers and so were the parents!

I thought I would share some of the things I did to prepare for my first "real" photoshoot. I assume you already know all about your camera, how to shoot in manual, understand lighting, and have had lots of practice. If not, check out all of the posts from our two weeks of photography!

::Check the Sunset Calendar::

I use this Sunset Calendar to find out when the sun is going to set in my area for any given day. I allowed for 20 minutes of prep time and an hour of shooting before the sun was completely down. Little kids won't last more then an hour usually :-)

::Scout out the location::

Know the location! I took my daughter and did some practice photos at the same time and spot we were planning on taking the family photos. I knew which areas to stay in ahead of time and I knew what the lighting was going to be like.

::Posing::

For a while now I have been collecting images of poses I love. I find them in magazines or from other photographers that I admire. I studied them before the family shoot and picked a few favorites that I definitely wanted to have them do. Many photographers sell posing guides or cards that you can attach to your camera bag. Willette Designs has a nice selection of posing guides here.

::What to Bring::

Besides my camera and lens, I brought several props, including a little wagon, quilts, and some vintage chairs. We mainly used the bright patchwork quilt I picked up at a local thrift store, and the landscape. Ask your family if there's anything special they would like to incorporate.

Bring extra camera memory cards, especially if you plan on shooting in raw. Bring one of THESE to put them in and not a Ziploc bag like I did! I'm so NOT a professional obviously! If I were, I would also probably have an extra battery and a backup camera.

Bring a helper if you can. I had Ashley come along and I could not have done it without her. She served as a backup shooter and got some really nice family shots, she helped place the family in poses, and held the baby so I could get some photos of mom and dad together. She also took some photos of me in action which was funny to see :-)

Lil Blue Boo is lucky enough to get to work with some amazing professional photographers that photograph our clothing. We have a new found respect for what you do and have to applaud you because this is not an easy job. You just make it look easy.