Getting the entire family together for a photo can be a lot of work! Getting everyone together and getting everyone to agree on the where, when, how is no small feat! We’ve previously talked tips for getting the uncooperative kids to behave, but in honor of Father’s Day, let’s talk about the fact that sometimes the one misbehaving is a super annoyed Dad who doesn’t want to be in the photos.
Getting Dad to buy-in doesn’t have to be painful, and can actually be fun. Here are my best tips for getting buy-in from Dad.
1. Let him know that he only has to be in a few and we’ll let him sit it out and listen to his football game (or go to the cooler for a cocktail)! We seriously run into this in the fall, when golden hour and football games collide! We get it Dad … we know you want to know the final outcome of the game. When we photograph families, we always break up the family into smaller units, i.e., mom with kids, dad with kids, kids alone, etc. Be sure and let dad know that we can work it out so that we can get some of him with the whole group, and then he can sit it out and watch the game on his iPhone!
2. Did someone say cocktail? By all means, if having a cocktail or a beer will help Dad to relax and be happier, let him go to the cooler and have one! As long as he doesn’t overdo it, we could have a happy camper on our hands.
3. Let him pick the location. If Dad is balking about participating in the family photos, make it fun by letting him pick the location. If he is in his happy place, its sure to show through in the photos.
4. Let him pick his own outfit. We did a photoshoot just this weekend, and the Dad and son had on matching, rather colorful shirts. The mom told us that they shopped together and picked them out on their own! The look on their faces when they told me about the outfits made it clear that it was a bonding experience, and one that will be a special memory every time they look at the photos.
5. Finally, and most importantly, be sure to let him know how important it is to you, and to the whole family. For the most part, just communicating that documenting the family for the sake of capturing the memories will help gain his understanding and cooperation.
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