Capturing real emotion during your family photo session

Type of shoot: Family

Location: Oahu

Camera setup: Canon R6 + 24-105mm f4 RF lens, 50mm f1.8 RF lens, and 70-200 f2.8 RF lens

Summary: How do you capture so many candid photos during your session? This is a question I

get asked more often than not. So many families just want candid photos that capture the raw

emotion and love that is shared between one another. Over the years I’ve found a few different

ways to do so. When working with younger children, mainly infants, I prompt my clients to

throw them up in the air or spin them around. We discuss their desired background for the shot, I

pose them properly and the rest left up to them just having a fun time with their kiddo!! For

toddlers, since most of them are old enough to take direction from me, I’ll have them run

towards the camera while their parents chase them or have their parents swing them as they

walk. These kinds of prompts during the session truly bring out every aspect of emotion from

both the kids and their parents!