Family Photography Tips in Kansas City
Most of what families ask me comes up often enough that I’ve written it down properly. This is the whole collection — what to wear, how to get through it with kids, when to book, where to shoot, and what a session actually looks like.
What to wear
The single most common question, and the answer is simpler than people expect: coordinate, don’t match. Pick two or three colors that sit well together, spread them across everyone, vary the shade rather than the exact color, and keep patterns to one quiet piece. Fall and winter make this easy — the season hands you texture that adds depth a busy print never will.
- Matching vs. coordinating — the idea underneath all of it
- What to wear for fall family photos — twelve ready-made color palettes with a chart to save
- Download the Fall & Winter wardrobe guide (PDF)
Getting through it with kids
Nobody’s kids are perfectly behaved for a photographer, and I don’t need them to be. The best frames almost always come from the in-between moments, not the posed ones. Bring a snack and a small toy, plan around naps, and let me do the work of getting real reactions instead of forcing a look.
- How to prep the kids and keep your sanity
- Getting real smiles out of kids — not the squinty forced one
- The hands problem, and how to solve it
- Posing for families who hate being photographed
When to book — season, light, and weather
Timing matters more than location. Golden hour — the hour after sunrise or before sunset — is soft and flattering in any season. Fall books up first and fastest around Kansas City; if you want holiday cards out on time, you’re really booking in September. And a forecast that turns isn’t the end of the world — we reschedule or move indoors.
- The best time of day for outdoor family photos
- Fall color is coming, and it books up fast
- Your holiday cards start in September
- Don’t let the weather win
- Beating the Kansas City heat at a summer session
Where to shoot around Kansas City
The spot matters almost as much as the light. I shoot family sessions all over the metro — the WWI Museum lawn, Loose Park, Shawnee Mission Park, Union Station when the weather turns, the Plaza, the West Bottoms — on both sides of the state line. If a place means something to your family, bring it to me.
- Ten favorite family photo locations around Kansas City
- Picking a place that actually means something to you
- The full location list on the family photography page
Making sure everyone’s in the picture
Two people get left out of family photos more than anyone: the mom holding the camera and the grandparents nobody thought to invite. Both belong in the frame.
What actually happens at a session
If you’ve never done this before, here’s the whole thing start to finish, plus what to bring and what to leave at home so nothing is a surprise on the day.
- What actually happens at a photo session
- The session checklist — what to bring, what to leave at home
Seniors and graduation
Senior and graduation portraits run on a different calendar than family sessions — book earlier than you think.