Choosing the location for your family portraits can sometimes seem like a daunting task – but let me ease your mind! The two most absolutely important things about your family portraits that will make the biggest difference in how your photos look is the lighting, and your attitude. If you come into your family portraits dreading how your children will behave, starting the bribing game before you even arrive, or worrying or fussing about every little detail – you’re setting yourself up for a pretty miserable photoshoot, no matter who the photographer is. If this is you, take a few deep breaths, remind yourself that these photos are just a snapshot in time, capturing you and your family as you are now, and the more fun you have with them the more fun the entire experience will be and your photos will reflect that!

Now for the lighting, I always schedule my family portraits around the golden hour. That means that even on a bright sunny day, we won’t be fighting harsh shadows or squinty eyes. We’ll get the beautiful golden glow as the sun sets or rises. And if it’s a cloudy day that’s great too! Cloudy days give soft diffused light that makes colors pop.

Let’s talk about choosing your location. There are a few factors to consider when looking at locations. First off, are there any places that are special to you and your family? A favorite park, city, or perhaps some place that holds special memories of good times together. The second big thing to consider is whether you’d prefer more greenery or more cityscape. Most of my families lean towards greenery, but having photoshoots in downtown areas can also be a blast! Choose whichever suits you and your family best.

Depending on how often you get your family portraits taken you may want to consider where you’ve had them taken in the past. Do you want your photos to match throughout the years? Or do you want each year to reflect a different time in your lives and use different locations? It all comes down to personal preference, and what’s best for you and your family.

Depending on your photographer, location may be dependent on the location of your photographer’s studio. If you get too far away there may be travel fees involved as well. Open Box will photograph full hour portrait sessions up to 30 miles from our studio without travel fees.

There are also some locations that will require permission, or have a permit fee that must be paid for in advance. Make sure you talk with your photographer about your location choice and double check that there aren’t fees associated with that location.

No matter where you choose to get your portraits taken, remember it’s the time spent together and the fun you have that will help your photographer create beautiful photographs. With great light, a great photographer and the right attitude, you’ll be walking away with treasured moments that will last a lifetime!

If you’d like to see what some locations look like in the Dexter area, here are a few links to past portraits sessions photographed by Open Box Photography:

My Home Studio (the outdoor location depending weather)
Hudson Mills
Pickerel Lake
Pinckney Recreation Area
Downtown Dexter