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Over the years, I’ve worked with countless families in hopes of catching the perfect family portrait. Whether I’m working with a large extended family gathering or a couple and their firstborn, I’ve developed a certain workflow to capture the perfect moment. I would like to familiarize you with how I work and also provide my tips and insights so we can best prepare for your family portrait session together:

  1. If we are working at a location I am unfamiliar with, I make sure to visit it before the session at the same time we will be shooting. I observe where the light is falling and what possible locations I can work with in that setting. Then, I watch the weather carefully in order to be able to adjust the start time for optimum lighting conditions.
  2. In most cases, I begin the session with more controlled portraiture starting with the largest groupings first and then paring away. Young children being with their parents helps them feel more comfortable. The light may also be a bit bright so I can control the lighting better. However, if you have an extremely active child who must be moving all the time, I will start with moving photos first. Usually even a very active child will calm down, and at this point, it’s easier to bring in other family members for portraits together.
  3. From there, I like to move into active play. Each individual has “their turn,” and then I work with all of the children playing together. Sometimes I need parental participation to engage the children. I will direct you where to be. It’s important for you to be in close proximity to the camera, which may mean kneeling down so your children’s eyes are focused in the camera’s direction.
  4. I come to every session with lots of patience. It’s important to acknowledge each child’s personality and timing and let myself be guided by their comfort zone. If they need a short break for refreshments, it’s important to give him or her that time.
  5. Though the sessions are meant to be relaxed and enjoyable, I am very aware of the changing light: approaching clouds, setting sun, and wind and will move the session along to accomplish what I have in mind to give you the greatest range of images.
  6. I like to end the sessions with family play. By then, the light is gorgeous, everyone is very relaxed, and it’s a great time for spontaneous photography.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of what to expect when having your family portait taken. I thought I’d also share a finished photograph of engaging children in active play on the beach:

Hamptons Family Portrait

 
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During the first year of a baby’s life there’s something new to celebrate nearly every day. Whether it’s the first smile, the first word, or the first step, every stage provides delightful memories. To make it easy for parents to capture each of these wonderful stages, I started offering baby portrait packages a few years ago.

It works like this: we schedule 2 to 4 separate baby photo sessions during the first year at these milestones:

photocrati gallery
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By Deborah Kalas, Hamptons Photographer

As you can probably tell from my website one of the ways people know of me is as a beach photographer. I love taking beach portraits and so may of my clients request to have their sessions on the beach. And why not? There is nothing more magical than the surf and the sand and the sun. And of course the memory of that perfect summer day and the exquisite light in the Hamptons.

Beach photography poses some unique challenges. Too bright and harsh light is not ideal for photographs, and on the beach there are no places to go for some shade. Moreover, the sun’s rays are reflected on the sand and that can also add to harshness. So, the beach photographer has to work with the sun, not against it.

I prefer to photograph on the beach 1½ hour before sunset (that’s my favorite time to be on the beach anyway!) or very early in the morning. At that time, the angle of the sun provides a lovely, soft light that enhances skin tone and color saturation. When the light is warm and golden we get the most beautiful portraits.

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Above is a group of photographs that I created to illustrate the different qualities of light on the beach at various times of day (in this example, it was early June). As you can see, the time of day really does make a difference.

So, when booking your photo session at the beach, try to be at the location as early as possible so we can work with the light to get it just right. Your portraits will be gorgeous!