Having professional portraits taken can be a BIG DEAL for a lot of people. The planning, the money, the stress over whether the kids are going to go berserk and throw fits the whole time in their pretty outfits. It can be a stressful thing, which is why I really think keeps many families (AKA Moms) don't schedule more professional family photos. Once a year is usually more than enough for you! I see you out there nodding your head.

I am guilty of it myself. This year will be the first year my husband, daughter, and myself will have family portraits taken. We have never done it before, and my daughter is 3 years old!

I put together a few tips of things I am going to follow myself to gear up for our own session.

• 1.  Be yourself. If your client can sense that you are comfortable, it will help ease their own nerves. Laugh, joke, be yourself. Be goofy if you're goofy. Tell them little snippets of your life so that they can have a sense of who you are. And even if you have only just met them, act like you have known them for years and years.

• 2. Give posing directions.  I can tell you that when some client don't know how to stand, or which leg to put their weight on or where they should put their hands, it freaks them out. They want to look good and feel good about their photos before they see them. They are relying on you as their photographer to give them that direction. You have to remember that you do this all. the. time. But they don't. Clients like direction.

• 3. Ask questions. If a client feels that you are interested in their life, and you should be to build a good relationship, they are going to be more open than if you just stood in silence and showed no interest whatsoever in their kids, their jobs, their values, etc.

• 4. Be prepared. Take extra batteries, extra memory cards, whatever you need as back up. JUST IN CASE. If something should ever go wrong (knock on wood), your stress will become their stress. And then the whole session could be a bust.  Just do what you need to make sure that it's as smooth as it could be. The experience is just as important as the photos.

• 5. Incorporate their interests. If they are huge football nuts, maybe encourage them to take some portraits in their jerseys.  Bring along their family dog. Oh, they play guitar? Bring it too! Whatever they like/love to do, encourage portraits that include or convey that. Portraits that show their family's personality are usually a big hit.

• 6. Give compliments. If you like their outfits, tell Mom she did a great job. If the pose is great, let them you it looks great! Tell Mom her hair looks fantastic. Tell Dad that his shirt is really nice. Giggle with the kids and let them know their smile is your favorite. Little compliments can make a big difference. It amps up their confidence, and we all know that confidence comes across their face. It can make all the difference in a average oh-that's-pretty photo and a SUPER-GORGEOUS OH-MY-GOD-I-HAVE-TO-HAVE-IT photo.

• 7. Reassure them. At the end of the session, I take a quick peek at some of the photos on my camera (while they are gathering up their stuff and getting ready to head for the car) and just reassure them that you captured great shots, and that you are so excited to show them when you're done editing. It leaves the session on a high note and builds excitement that brews in them until the reveal session.

There you go. I hope these help even just a little bit. The more comfortable your client is, the better your portraits will be!