A couple months ago, I blogged about my ideal wedding client. Today I would like to continue this series with the ideal family client!

What makes an ideal family client?

Finding the ideal family client to photograph is a little bit more challenging than a wedding client. With weddings, couples generally have a specific style of wedding they are planning. That might be a farm wedding, a hotel wedding, a golf resort wedding, a backyard wedding, or an elopement. Each of these genres has plenty of photographers to choose from who specialize in them! This helps narrow the search for the ideal match down considerably.

With families, there is no “ideal” style of person. My perfect family clients can be found living in high-rise apartments in the city, in little cottages on the beach, or in colonials in suburban towns. They may have only one child or they may have four! Instead, I am looking for a feeling, a state of mind, certain personality traits and common values. Much more challenging!

Finding a *good match* between photographer and client is mutually beneficial and so important. As a photographer, I am able to do my best work when I know my client values what I value. As a client, it’s much easier to relax in front of the lens when they have trust that their photographer is capturing what is important to them.

#1: My Ideal Family Client Wants A Relaxed Experience

Anyone who has met me knows that I am not a formal person. Most days, you’ll find me dying to change out of my jeans and into my sweatpants at the end of the day. If you want a more formal, perfectly posed photography experience– I am not your person. My sessions work best when they are relaxed and playful. This means that I am not worried about constantly brushing hair out of your children’s faces or re-tucking shirts. Not only does this stress children out, it cuts down on the ability to capture genuine moments. My ideal family knows that messy is beautiful too!

This doesn’t mean we won’t get a couple posed portraits with your child’s hair out of their face! My ideal client might like the ones above just as much, though.

#2: The Perfect Client (For Me) is Not Afraid to Laugh

Over the years, I have had many clients scold their children for laughing too much. They have wanted them to calm down and pose and smile “nicely”. There are photographers who do incredibly amazing posed work, but this is not my style. I want your kids to laugh! Here’s a little secret: *everyone* looks beautiful when they laugh and giggle.

#4: A Good Match Client Appreciates Environmental Portraiture

One of the things I pride myself on is the variety I am able to provide to my clients in every gallery. I shoot every outdoor session with both a portrait (long) lens and an environmental (wide angle) lens. This allows me to grab those beautifully compressed closer-up portraits but *also* to provide some sweeping wide-angle shots of you and your family in your chosen location. I am very inspired by my surroundings and love the outdoors. A client who is a good match wants a mix of both portraits and environmentally focused images.

#5: Last But Not Least, My Ideal Client Likes to Snuggle Their Family

This is a big one for me! Emotions and connections are what drive my passion for photography. If you’re not interested in snuggling up with your children and your spouse, we might not be a good fit. I am going to tell you to smooch, hug, tickle, lean in, and hold hands with your family. I am going to tell you to lean in closer a lot. This doesn’t mean you need to be a natural at snuggling with an audience– I promise I will tell you exactly what to do! But if the idea of a family pig pile stresses you out too much, we are likely not the best fit.

The Long + Short

To sum it all up, there is a photographer and a client out there for everyone. One of the benefits of living in a city like Boston is that there are lots of choices. Clients can find their perfect photographer and photographers can narrow in on their ideal clients!

Psssstttt…..are you a relaxed family who loves adventure, laughter, and snuggles? Let’s chat!