“I am very much aware of my own double self . . . The well-known one is very under control; everything is planned and very secure. The unknown one can be very unpleasant. I think this side is responsible for all the creative work . . . he is in touch with the child.” –Ingmar Bergman
Day in the Life Session, NYC
Here are some of my answers to FAQ about Day in the Life sessions that will help you prepare for a meaningful day. If you have any additional questions please share them in the comments.
How do I prepare for a Day in the Life Session?
I want to preface my answer to this question by mentioning a few things you don’t need to do to prepare for your session: you don’t need to buy new outfits for your family, you don’t need to bribe your kids to behave for the photos, you don’t need to clean every corner of your home and make all the beds, you don’t need to plan a day of expensive, out of the ordinary activities for you and your family.
This is what I would recommend to prepare:
Sit down with your kids and explain the process of a day in the life session to them. Explain that a photographer will be coming to photograph the family for the day. Tell them this is a unique kind of portrait experience–they just get to hang out and have fun with the family for a day and I’ll be tagging along to enjoy the day with them and take photos along the way. Explain that the photos will be photojournalistic in style, which means that nothing is posed or staged like traditional photos. I won’t be asking them to smile or stand still or anything at all. Let them know that this kind of session is about telling a story with a variety of images from the day. (An alternative to sitting down with them to explain the session is having them join you for a portion of our phone consultation when I will explain the process for you. This gives you one less thing to do.)
Day in the Life Session, NYC
Resist the urge to overly plan your day, or organize your entire household before your session, unless that is a routine part of your life. Allow your real life to be present for the camera. Many of my favorite images from day in the life sessions are the simple routine interactions that happen everyday in mundane, imperfect, and even messy settings. The more you can be in the moment, and embrace imperfection, the more you will love your photos.
Day in the Life Session, NYC
There’s no need to coordinate outfits. Again, this is not a typical photo shoot. If you wouldn’t normally coordinate your entire family’s outfits on a regular day, don’t do it for a day in the life session. During one of my day in the life sessions the kids were wearing mis-matched clothing because it was mis-matched clothing day at school. In another, a little girl wore a tutu that she typically dressed up in several days a week. If you have kids that like to pick out their own outfits everyday this is perfectly okay. Embrace your everyday wardrobes.
Get excited to spend some time with your family and enjoy their company. Get excited to fit a photo session in your family’s schedule that won’t take any time away from your regular schedule and is entirely flexible. Many of my clients ask me what I would like to have them do for their day in the life session, and I always turn the question back to them. What would you do on a regular weekday or weekend with your family? Would you wake up the kids, make breakfast, do the dishes, watch Saturday morning cartoons, do the laundry, take the kids to the park or playground, ride bikes, make dinner, get take-out, brush teeth, read bedtime stories, etc? It doesn’t need to be anything out of the ordinary unless out of the ordinary things are a part of your routine. Live your everyday life on the day of your session–this is what I’m trying to capture, not an idealized version of what you would do on the most perfect day you can imagine. Be as flexible on the day of your shoot as you would be on a normal day: snow day and you want to go sledding with your kids? Great! I’ll come along. Is it raining and your kids want to puddle jump? I’ll be right there with you. Shift your mindset from what you normally gear up to face at a traditional portrait session––we have all been conditioned to be aware of and perform for the camera, to make things look perfect. I want you to unlearn that instinct and forget the camera is there. If you are able to shift your focus from the camera to your family I will be able to capture those genuine interactions and emotions.
Day in the Life Session, NYC
Enjoy yourself. I find that portrait sessions can sometimes become stressful for parents, as they worry their children will become impatient or misbehave. Children are very connected to their parent’s emotional state and can sense their stress through tone of voice, manner, and body language. I’ve noticed that as soon as a child senses this stress, it can create a spike in their own stress level, and that usually expresses itself as misbehavior, impatience, or meltdowns. Obviously, this isn’t always the cause but it can influence this behavior or intensify it. If you can prepare yourself to relax and enjoy yourself during your day in the life session, your children will often naturally relax and enjoy it as well. Another reason to relax is that your children do not need to behave perfectly for a day in the life session. A child’s emotions naturally fluctuate throughout the day and I want to capture that variety and not just a fake smile for the camera.
Day in the Life Session, NYC
If you would like a free consultation to explore the possibility of booking a Day in the Life session in 2022, please contact me at reed@rebeccareed.co or on instagram @rebeccareed.co