Most photographers (and Moms) would agree that Dads tend to be less enthusiastic about family photo day and imagine themselves having to dress in formal clothes and make awkward, forced smiles. The great thing about my style of “lifestyle family photography” is that none of that applies. You’ll see from the images I’m sharing here that THE best photographs of Dad are the ones where he relaxes, interacts with the children and just has fun. Yup, that means he can be as goofy as he is at home – the goofier the better! There’s no better way to bring out the natural smiles in both Dad and the kids!

Scroll down for 3 easy tips to help Dads feel more at ease about an upcoming session.

Tip # 1: Wear what makes him feel comfortable.

During your session I’ll be asking him to hug, snuggle, chase, and probably throw the kids in the air so make sure he’s not wearing clothes he doesn’t feel comfortable doing that in! If he’s not a formal guy you’ll probably have this covered, but even if he is a formal guy he doesn’t need to wear a button down shirt! Whatever he decides to wear just remember that solid colors work best.

Tip # 2: Be his goofy self!

If Dad acts silly and makes funny noises when playing with the kids at home PLEASE encourage him to bring that with him to your session! I’ll encourage him to do whatever makes the kids (and him) laugh and I promise it’ll bring out genuine smiles in the images I capture for your family!

Tip #3: Please don’t look at me!

While I love a few traditional “looking at the camera” shots, what I’m really aiming for is images that show families interacting with each other, not with me! I’m looking to capture how you look at each other, laugh with each other and smile those genuine smiles! So be warned – you’ll often hear me say “don’t look at me, look at each other” during your session, so please do! All I ask of you is that you have fun, relax and enjoy your photo session experience.

So there you have it! Three small tips to help Dad (and everyone!) have a comfortable, stress-free and successful photo session.