Sometimes it's hard to schedule those family photos because you don't feel quite yourself, quite thin enough or pretty enough or together enough. We, as a people, put so much pressure on ourselves to look perfect, especially in photos that people are going to look at for years to come, that we avoid it altogether.

I believe that every woman (and man too) should love their body, but let's face it, we are all guilty of being critical of ourselves at some point. I read this article on a while back that discusses using affirmations to boost self-confidence. Lucky for you, if you don't come in to your session feeling sky high about yourself, there are ways to get around it with posing too.

Hip bone to belly button.

I know how self conscious we can be about our weight or how "wide" we might appear. Turning toward your partner,  so that your belly button is close to his hip bone will create dimension and flatter your waistline with the angle. It also feels more relaxed than shooting straight on to your squared shoulders. There are so many ways to change it up too, so that it doesn't feel that you are posing exactly the same way for every location.

Arm out and away.

Whenever I am doing portraits, I ask my clients to have at least one shot from every pose with their hand on their hip. Not because I want them to look sassy (though I love a good sass), but because it slims the upper arm, unlike poses that make the arm appear wider because it is pressed against her body. I have learned that the arms are the first thing a woman criticizes about herself.

Bend those legs!

Straight legs are boring and flat and look uncomfortable too. Put a little bend in that knee. Pop that hip. Give you some curves, and it makes the photo 10x better, I promise. it may feel awkward (doesn't posing always feel a little weird anyway?) but it will make the end result looks fab.

Be below the camera.

Looking up thins your neck and elongates your eyelashes too. It's such a simple way to pose and get a beautiful portrait that will be timeless and classy. I always think that portraits shot from above are a little flirty too (must be the eyelash thing), which makes them so fun too!

The goal of a portrait session, whether alone, with a partner or your family, is to create images that you can be proud of and love. The better you feel about yourself combined with posing that you know will bring out the best parts of you can make all the difference.

Summer is a rough one, especially here in Kansas, where we get heat along with high humidity. Scheduling sessions can be hard because the heat and the sun limits ideal times for portraits.  It is possible though! Below are a few tips for making the most of your summer session!

Communicate with your photographer about posing and flow of the session beforehand.

Planning is always good, and your photographer is probably prepared and already knows the flow of how normal summer sessions go. But you, as a client, might not. Ask questions so that you know what to expect. This will make it go faster without sacrificing the number of photos taken because you'll have an idea of what is coming up.

Practice posing.

Figure out what makes you feel good. Not only does this boost your confidence, which will show tenfold in your photos, you won't have to have quite as much direction. Some people are natural at posing. Some aren't. And practice never hurt anyone. Here are some examples to give you inspiration.

Hydrate.

Seriously. This one might seem silly, but you don't want to get too hot. I just shot a family session yesterday evening at 7pm, and it was still 93 degrees out. It doesn't take long to get hot and sticky and cranky too. Plus, being hydrated makes you look better and more refreshed.

Bring snacks/drinks.

On more than one occasion, I have toted a small cooler on my wheelchair just to make sure that I have something cool with me. The car isn't always at a reasonable distance to go back during a shoot so just bring it with you. I usually keep a few snacks in my camera bag in case a kiddo needs some bribing too. 

Schedule early morning shoots if possible.

Like I mentioned above, 93 degrees at 7pm. I am one of those weird people who love and thrive in warm spaces, (I use a space heater in my office in the summer even!) but it was hot at that shoot. Like my-nose-is-running and sweat-is-in-my-eyes kind of hot. I got some great shots, but sometimes the heat can make it hard to concentrate on much else. I like to schedule summer sessions in the morning too. The light is still gorgeous, and it is usually 15 degrees cooler.