You’ve scheduled your family photoshoot. You know the date, time and location. Now what? Here are some tips to prepare yourself and your family for photo day:

This is a point that I cannot stress enough: Do NOT wait until the night before your photoshoot to decide what everyone will wear the next day. If you realize that you need to purchase an item – for example, if it’s cold and you realize your daughter has no boots – you may not have time to go shopping before your session. Now you’re stuck either trying to reschedule the photoshoot, or making your daughter wear her sandals in the snow. A good practice is to determine what everyone will be wearing as soon as you get your photoshoot scheduled!

Pay attention to how long it takes you and your family to all get ready to go somewhere – out to dinner, to the movies, to visit relatives, etc. Plan on it taking even longer to get everyone ready for the photoshoot. Make sure you allow for this extra time so that no one is rushed. Many parents get extremely stressed and flustered when trying to get everyone ready to be somewhere at a specific time. When we’re not rushed, we’re not nearly as stressed. Period.

Let your children know in advance about the photoshoot. Start talking to them about it the week before. Most young children are more comfortable when they know what to expect. Tell them that you will all be having your pictures taken and that it will be a fun experience for the entire family. Consider turning it into a family outing and going out to dinner or getting an ice cream cone after the photoshoot.

Above all else, relax and just enjoy being with your family. The important thing is not that everyone is staring blankly with forced smiles into the camera – it’s that you’re all enjoying the moment and simply being together.