A Manhattan Family Portrait Session

It’s my first Manhattan family portrait session of the year, and I’ve got all the details in this week’s blog post.  From the planning to the resulting images of adorable little ones, I’ve taken notes so that your family photo shoot can be just as successful.

Manhattan Family Portrait Session – Meet Shanti’s Family

Let me first begin by introducing you to Shanti and her family.  This beautiful family of four lives on the Upper East Side.  Their little one was born two months ago, so it was time for a family photo shoot.

Manhattan Family Portrait Session – The Location

With the weather in March being a tad on the cold side, we elected to stay inside the apartment for the entirety of the photo shoot.  While Shanti’s apartment does have a roof patio, the hassle of bundling up both little ones made staying indoors a much better choice.

All photos took place in the couple’s bedroom and in the living room.  The apartment has big windows and plenty of light, which is always a recipe for great photos.  Shanti had selected these areas ahead of the shoot, so we concentrated only on these two rooms.

Manhattan Family Portrait Session – The Order of Photos

As with all my family portrait sessions, we began by focusing on the children first.  Since little ones have a short attention span, it’s important to nab these images when you can.  I started on the baby and then went back and forth with Shanti’s toddler in between outfit changes.

By the way, the little one began with just a diaper, and then moved on to a precious little onesie.  That was it in terms of outfit changes.  Note no headbands or restrictive clothing of any type was used during this photo shoot.  This made for a much happier baby.

After focusing on the kids, we went for a fun, family shot on the bed.  When one child needed attention, I simply shifted focus to the other parent and child for photos.  In this way I was able to get each parent with each respective child, as well as each parent alone with both children.

Next up was the couch for some more family time, and then it was time for a nap (for everyone).  Note that the session does include proper portraits, but the overall feel is that of a documentary shoot.  Everyone looks natural and relaxed, because that was what happened.  It was a great afternoon, and here are the rest of the photos from the session.  Enjoy!

If you are interested in some more family portrait tips, check out my articles on ‘Newborn Portrait Tips‘ and ‘Clothing Tips for Family Photos.’

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Are you a NYC parent and would like to schedule your own Manhattan family portrait session?  Drop me a line and let’s talk about your photography needs.

If you would like to view more photos from my family portrait portfolio, then please visit my website – KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com