There are many places to find inspiration for your family photos. Pinterest is a major hub for photo ideas, Instagram, Facebook, and photographer websites just to name the places I frequent the most. Here's what to look for when visiting these sites.
Are the photos realistic for your family?
You can search specifically for "family photos of four" or "family photos of four with newborn" and find photos that you can visualize your family in. If you have a shot that you absolutely want to try, make sure to share that with your photographer. But, please remember you are choosing your photographer based on their skills, creativity and artistry - they may have a different vision of what photographs will work with your family and with their setup.
Perusing Pinterest is how I get inspiration for new poses to try or if I'm looking for poses for a family dynamic I have not shot before.
Also as an example, if you see a trend of sunset photos in a sunflower field, keep it for inspiration but realistically ask yourself if it is possible—is there a sunflower field within comfortable driving distance? When is the peak season for sunflowers?
The photos on Instagram are the BEST of the best. These are the swoon worthy photos that are shared because they are aesthetically pleasing and perfect for Insta. Remember to keep an eye out for any editing that make have been added or taken over the top post session.
Also, this one highlight photo may not adequately represent the full gallery of photos for that session. It's best to see the full gallery, session blog post or portfolio of the photographer to get a better idea of the photos you would receive from a session. Which brings me to my next place to look for inspiration.
Local Photographer's Website
This is by far the BEST place to go for inspiration because you have the chance to get a similar style, color/tone, and locations. You can look for inspiration from images that the photographer has captured before. And it opens up the possibilities for finding a new and exciting location close to home that you didn't know about.
By looking at local photographer websites, this will also help you narrow down who you want to take your photos and who's photos really speak to you and capture your attention. Take a look at their portfolio page [here's a link to mine].
Summary
Tip: Start a Pinterest board or photo album on your phone to keep screenshots in over time.
Ask yourself the following questions looking at the inspiration photos:
- What is the general theme or trend you see when looking at the photos that capture your attention?
- Is it the layout of the photo, close up or faraway, the candid shots, the color or tone of the images that draws you to the photo?
- Do you want to frame these photos in your house or would they be ideal for sharing on social media as a profile or cover photo?
Keeping those end results in mind after you have gathered your inspiration (most likely pinned or screenshot) will help you with selecting your photographer and resulting in photos that you love.
