Family Portraits At The Arizona Cactus Garden

Family Portraits at the Arizona Cactus Garden

There are many great locations to take family portraits in the Bay Area. One of my favorite places is the Arizona Cactus Garden in Stanford, CA. The location sits on the outskirts of the Stanford University Campus and is a unique backdrop for portraits. Here are some fun family portraits at the Arizona Cactus Garden. As well as four things you MUST do to have a successful family portrait session.

Prepare Ahead of Time

Family portraits at the Arizona Cactus Garden

Before the session starts, you want to make sure to be prepared ahead of time. Being prepared allows for a stress free session that you and your family will enjoy 😉 Some of the ways you can prepare leading up to the session are by:

Communicating with your Photographer before the session: If you have never worked with your Photographer before, it is important that you’re on the same page. Every Photographer does things a little different and it is important to completely understand their process. One of the ways I like to do this is by having clients fill out a pre-session questionnaire. The questionnaire tells me a little about your family so that I can plan ahead.
Coordinating outfits: Chances are, you probably have some great outfit options to choose from that are already in your closets 😉 However, if you are planning an extended family portrait session, coordinating outfits may be a little more important. You don’t want one family to be dressed causal while the other comes more “dressy.” Coordinating your outfits can be as simple as setting out your outfits the day before and making sure they are ironed and ready to go.
Talking to small children about the session: If you have small children, I always recommend talking to them about the session a few days before. Letting them know that you’ll be going to the park to have fun, take pictures can make a HUGE difference. By showing them that you are excited for the session, they will also be excited!
Arriving early: Another way to prepare is by arriving early. I recommend arriving at least 15 minutes before the start of the session. This allows enough time to find parking or go to the restroom before the session starts.

Have FUN!!!

Perhaps the most important thing to do during your session is to have fun! I believe that family portraits should be fun, candid, and feel unposed. This is especially the case with kids. Their true personality shines when they are having fun and being themselves.

Make Sure To Get Every Combination

Another important thing to do during family portraits is to get all of the various combinations. If your family portraits consist of 5, 6, 7, or more people – make sure to double check that all combinations have been photographed.

Take Fun Poses

Last but not least, make sure to incorporate any fun poses that you’d like photographed into the session. If you do not have any specific poses in mind, your Photographer will walk you through this. However, be sure to also get any fun and silly poses you’d like taken as well 🙂

Hopefully these fun family portraits at the Arizona Cactus Garden have given you some ideas for your very own session 🙂 Thanks!