The three most common moments that derail a family session (and how to work through them)
How to work through the 3 most common moments that derail us at our family sessions - the grumpy dad, the perfectionist mom, and the kids who says no. This is a free live class. Wednesday, September 23 at 12pm CT. Replay goes to everyone who signs up.
Somewhere along the way we all got the idea that the good photographers are the ones who found the good families..
The ones who show up loose and playful and already in love with each other.
Which, to be clear is sooooo much fun to work with those kinds of families. There are a lot of them out there and I want you to get every one of them. But even when you have the best clients, you will still encounter things like...a dad who obviously isn't into the session. Or a mom who keeps fixing her kid's collar every four seconds. Or a kid who says no to everything, even all the fun activities you planned that you know they love.... When those things happen, it feels like the session went wrong. Like, you're doing it all wrong.
But you didn't. And you're not.
That's just working with families.
And the photographers you look at, the ones who seem to have all the dreamy clients?
They know how to move through the hard parts.
So the family relaxes. So they trust you. So they tell their friends, and their friends show up already wanting what you do.
That's what I'm teaching in this class. How to work through the three moments that derail a family session. The grumpy dad, the perfectionist mom, and the kids who says no.
It's free and it's live. Wednesday, September 23 at 12pm CT. Replay goes to everyone who signs up.
What you'll walk away with
Concrete action steps to work through the 3 most common blocks we encounter at family sessions (the grumpy dad, the perfectionist mom, and the kid who says no).
The perspective shifts that will help you have the confidence to actually do these things at your next session instead of freezing up and going into autopilot mode.
The ability to show your clients that you can lead them through the hard stuff (so they keep coming back and referring you to all their friends).
Have the space to make the kind of honest, beautiful work you want to make. Even when things go wrong.
Hi, I'm Suzy.
I've been photographing families for over 18 years, mostly on film, out of Chicago and all around the world. I'm a mom of three, which is probably why I care so much about parents actually enjoying the experience we give them. Because whew do I know how hard it is to be a parent. And how special it can be for parents to have any amount of time where they get to put down all the expectation and obligation they carry, and just enjoy being with their children.
I've spent my entire career transforming family photos from a dreaded obligation into an experience that's looked forward to. And now I teach other photographers how to do the same by leading families into real connection instead of posing them.
18+
years of photographing
3000+
families served
1000+
students taught
Inside the class
Everything you need to move through the moments that often stop us
- Exactly what to do with the dad who won't open up, the mom who keeps fixing everything, and the kid who says no.
- How to read what's actually happening in a stuck moment, so you know which move to make.
- What to do the second you feel yourself tighten up, so you don't freeze and go into autopilot mode.
Come live if you can, because I'm answering questions at the end and that's usually the best part. Can't make it? The replay comes to you either way.
