One of the questions I receive most from family and childrens’ session clients is along the lines of “Should I bring props to my photo session?”

Now, my beliefs are purely my own and have a lot to do with my photography style — a focus on real, candid, authentic moments and emotions and activities. There is no right or wrong answer and at the end of the day, I can easily go with the flow and adapt my process to match any props you may bring — just like I can adapt to Mother Nature bringing some extra wind or extra heat or helping you out with things like location and outfits. 

Here are some of my thoughts when it comes to props:

1. Make it meaningful.

If you want props in your photos because you want to exude a certain theme or style, consider whether or not things like where we take your photos and what you wear can bring the same feeling to your photos. For a farm or country feel, a tractor is great but the family in jeans and us in a gorgeous field can bring that same feeling to your final images, too. But, if your son’s favorite obsession at age three are tractors then I definitely think we need a tractor in at least a few of the photos.

2. Make it simple.

Using one or two props is great — especially when they’re easy to carry and pick up. Using a large amount of bulky props puts the emphasis on those objects rather than things like giggle and exploring and hand-holding and hugs. Most of my outdoor sessions involve a little adventure along a path or in a field and I want you all to be your true selves during the exploration and not having to worry about lugging a heavy bag around.

3. Make it celebratory.

For special occasions like sessions to celebrate birthdays, let’s have fun celebrating with some birthday-related items — whether that’s a cake or a birthday crown or something along those lines.

4. Make it unique.

Props shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all when it comes to family and childrens’ photo sessions — in a lot of cases, the items used by your neighbors or in that pin on Pinterest won’t carry as much significance to you and your family and in my opinion shouldn’t be e necessity for your session. Using your child’s absolute favorite stuffed animal or an item that’s been in every session you’ve taken as a family over the years is beautiful because it’s all about you.

5. Make it known.

What I mean by this is, always let me know if you have a special prop you want to bring with you to your session so that I can better prepare for our time together and so that I don’t miss anything that’s really important to you.

I’m here to capture your family and your memories and I support you in whatever you want to wear, wherever you want to be and with whatever you want to bring — just make sure it’s good for adventuring, easy to carry, true to you and will be special to you in your images.

I can’t wait to photograph you and your loved ones!