Tip #1: The night before the shoot, make sure the outfits you chose are still clean. (I woke up once the day of my family’s shoot and my husband had worn the shirt the day before without me noticing, BAH!)

Tip #2: Know bribing children (especially young children) doesn’t always work and can sometimes even backfire! Let them know they are going to have FUN! Try not to threaten a punishment for not smiling, that is a sure fire way to give you those fake forced smiles (or none).
I know how taxing family photo sessions can be to prepare for (check out this story of my last family session). I’ve been there. If you are a control freak like me, it can be super stressful! You can rest assure that anything your child throws at me during a session, I have seen! Even still, sometimes those in between moments, the moments when your kids are not cooperating, create the perfect candid photos you end up loving.