Your All-Inlcusive Family Portrait Session

So you booked your session. Yay! Let’s go over what comes next.

Make sure to fill out my “Family Portrait Session Pre-Session Questionnaire”

After you’ve completed your booking, I’ll send an email with a short Family Portrait Pre-Session Questionnaire. Don’t be shy with the details! The more you tell me, the more inspiration I can draw from when planning your photo session :).

Location

After years of documenting families, I’ve come to see photo session locations as one of the many ways that a family can instantly personalize their photo session. So if you have a place that is special to your family, I am 100% the photographer who will tell you, YES, let’s do it there! That being said, I know sometimes the choices can seem daunting and you’d rather just have some options. This is why I created a guide that shows some of my favorite Marin County Locations. It includes sample images to help you visualize each setting. You can check it out here:
https://www.janetsanchezphotography.com/marincountylocations

You’ll be letting me know about your location preferences in your Questionnaire, so once again make sure to fill that out to give us a starting point for planning!

What to Wear

I believe your photos should celebrate you. Rather than aiming for anything overly polished or perfectly coordinated, I encourage families to choose outfits that feel comfortable, natural, and true to who they are.

Movement matters — especially with kids — so clothing that allows you to sit, walk, explore, and play freely always photographs best. When planning outfits, start with a simple color palette instead of trying to match exactly. Soft, complementary tones tend to create a relaxed, cohesive look without feeling forced.

I’ve put together a detailed styling guide to help you plan with ease. It includes outfit tips, color palettes, and examples for both outdoor and in-home sessions.
You can view the full styling guide here:
https://www.janetsanchezphotography.com/styling-guide

If you have questions beyond the guide or would like a second opinion, you’re always welcome to reach out — I’m happy to help.

What to expect during our session

My goal is to capture the real connections, emotions, and little moments that make your family you. While I’ll make sure to get a few classic shots of everyone looking at the camera, most of our time together will be spent moving, playing, and doing things that feel natural.

I have plenty of fun activities up my sleeve- from playing Red Light, Green Light to dancing, or searching for “treasures” together. I also love incorporating activities or traditions that are special to your own family. You can tell me all about those kinds of things when you fill out your questionnaire, and I’ll make sure to work it into our session! No matter what we do, treat this session as a time to be fully present and simply enjoy your kids.

The most magical moments I’ve captured often start with a child following their own curiosity and a parent meeting them wherever they’re at. Embrace the unexpected, soak in the moment, and I promise to create something beautiful from your family, exactly as you are.

Length of the session

I do not place any hard time restrictions on family portrait sessions, but you can generally expect our session to last around 1 hour. For sessions that are planned around longer activities, you can expect a slightly longer photo session.

Weather

Weather is always a variable in photo sessions, and part of my job is simply monitoring the weather. I’ll always reach out before hand if it’s looking like we might need to have a back up plan (in our area, this mostly comes down to rain or intense wind). For rainy weather, we can discuss doing everything from embracing it and planning our photo session around it, to having a back up location, or if necessary, rescheduling. Another factor, especially for beach sessions, is wind and fog. Beach days in the Bay Area can be notoriously unpredictable. Sometimes a perfectly sunny day inland is also an incredibly foggy and or windy day at the Beach. Once again, I’ll always reach out to discuss options and alternate plans, and am happy to reschedule if necessary. My top priority is always delivering a fun experience and beautiful photographs!

Please do your best to arrive on time

I know how difficult it is to get everyone in the family loaded up and out the door! If you can, plan to be a little bit early so that we can start on time. This is especially important for sessions that are scheduled during that beautiful evening light. We want to make sure we have plenty of time with that gorgeous lighting before the sun dips below the horizon.

I can't wait to capture your family!  Do not hesitate to ask me any questions you have.  See you soon!