Choosing the amount of time to schedule for a session can be daunting for some. You never know how the kids are going to act or what the weather will do. Yo just never know. So here are a few guidelines that can help determine how long to capture  the moments you want without going into that "I'm gonna throw a tantrum" territory with the kids!

• Mini Session – 20-30 minutes – A mini session is ideal if you just want to document what your child looks like at the age he or she is right now. For example, doing a session for 7- year- old photos, or 4th grade photos, etc. These sessions are short and are best suited for older children (post-toddler) who are able to follow directions rather quickly. There will be some variation in the photos, but we don’t change locations or outfits.

• Standard Session – 1 hour – This is our most popular session length. This session caters to younger children and allows us to get more creative shots of younger children as long as they don't tire too quickly. We can go for one outfit change and a change of scenery. An hour gives us more time to get the younger children to warm up and cooperate, which the mini session doesn’t allow for.

• Extended Session – 1-2 hours – We suggest this session if you are doing a sibling session with three or more children. This allows me enough time to take photos of them together, as well as individually. It will also give us more time to pose them together and to get good, genuine smiles. Depending on how many children you have and their ages, this session can allow up to two outfit changes for siblings and 3-4 for individual children. We can also choose two locations as well.

Candyland on a Sunday morning.

Hey momma, I see you over there, stressing out about what you and the hubs and kids should wear for your upcoming family portraits.

 The colors, the patterns, what will look best. It's slightly overwhelming because you want these photos to be perfect. Believe me, I do too! But it doesn't have to be hard! I can almost promise that if you are happy and laughing and having a genuinely good time during the session, people won't even notice what you have on. Their eyes are drawn to faces, mostly the emotion of those faces.

Here are a few tips on how to pick outfits that will keep the process quick and painless and pull together outfits that will look great!

Keep It Simple.

Solids are normally a photographer's best friend. They don't take away the focus from the person wearing it, and they make a photo look very clean and sleek against the right backdrops. If you do want a patterned shirt, find solids for the other members of your family. A little bit of pattern can be a good thing. Too much pattern, not so much. You don't want to look back in 20 years and cringe at whatever the fad is. Simple and clean is your best bet.

Pick coordinating colors, not matchy-matchy.

I have to say that I have done family portraits where the girls all wore the same patterned outfit and the boys all wore solid shirts. They matched exactly. It worked, BUT only because their family dynamic made it work. On other occasions, the matching didn't work at all because the kids HATED the fact that they had the same shirt on. Sibling rivalry, maybe?

I recommend picking outfits that coordinate with each other, but do not match exactly.

Use Layers

One hour can feel like forever for a portrait session. For others, it flies by. Throw in an outfit change, and things can get tight. This is where layers and accessories can come in so handy. Taking a layer off or throwing on one takes less than a minute, and wah-la, it can look like a whole new outfit! Accessories do the same. A scarf can change your outfit entirely. No need to buy a bunch of new stuff either. Use whatcha got!

Make It Comfortable.

Don't wear anything that you are not going to be comfortable in. This is so important! When you aren't comfortable, the camera can see it. And when you see the photos, you're going to remember how tight those pants were or that your shirt wouldn't stay put. I truly think it takes away from the fun (and sometimes nerve-wracking) experience of having family portraits taken.