Lifestyle family photographer shares ideas and inspiration from real photo shoots in Bay Area, California.

Fall season is the perfect time to do children and family photoshoot. If you are reading this blog post, you are most likely to find new ideas and inspiration for your next family photography by A Few Good Clicks in Bay Area, California. Having been living in Bay Area for over 3 years now, I can affirmatively say, fall is truly an Indian summer as described by our British friends. It's not too cold, misty and sunny days offers a just about right kind natural diffusers a photographer needs. Although this fall family shoot was done during the day when the sun was at its peak but the shade was my best friend. Let's begin a few of my ideas on what to wear, poses and ofcourse the selection of location you may consider before finalising a photo shoot.

What to wear?

Wear anything that describes your personality as you would want to cherish those images few years down the line. You may hit the Pinterest boards for ideas but let's accept it everyone has a particular taste and we all are critical of how we look good. So wear that smile and sleep well the night before. If you really ask me for one thing to avoid is to wear bold prints but again it is subject to the location you pick. For example, I did a photoshoot for a family of 4 at Baylands park and the husband wore bold blue strips which went really well because the backdrop was clean and clutter free.If you are confused, just pick up plain clothes of any colour you like.

What to use as props?

Most of the time it's hard to do a staged photo shoot when you are in a park like Twin Pine in San Carlos. So I generally think of something that nature has to offer and get kids in the family involved to pick up the sticks, fallen leaves or even get them to decorate a pumpkin.

There is no key to get children pose for you as they may or may not listen to you. So give them a task to perform and it always works. For this particular family photo shoot, I had told the mother to bring a pumpkin and stickers for her child to decorate on the spot. Little girl aged 5 at the time was super excited and felt accomplished while I carried on doing my job of creating A Few Good Clicks :-)

Next up were wooden sticks lying around, I asked her to pick up as many sticks as possible until I count till 10 and as a result you are now looking at this amazing photo that I personally love.

How to choose the location?

There are many wonderful parks in and around San Carlos Bay Area but to depict the autumn season in a subtle way, I decided on a woodsy location and use natural props like leaves, sticks and pumpkin. Twin Pine Park in San Carlos has the advantage of shade and natural woods. Another favourite location is Baylands Park in Sunnyvale and you can view the family photo shoot I did in the month of December last year to get an idea of how contrasting these two places are. I personally prefer dry and uncluttered areas which can accentuate your subject and draws attention towards the family.

Pricing & Packages

The family session starts from $250 an hour and the session fees includes:

* 15 photos as a part of the package. More images available to buy at $20 per high res.

* Facebook / Google + time-line cover

* Hosted on an online gallery for 30 days

*Downloads available in 3 different sizes ( Web Size, High resolution and Original size )

Outdoor location within 15 - 20 miles from postcode 95134 but if you have a particular location you love, we can always work out a pricing for you.