My relationship with Pinterest: it’s complicated. Here’s the thing: trends in photography come and go.  I’ve been in business with my family portrait studio in Ottawa for 12 years and every year new accessories, colour palettes, and sets become “all the rage”, only to fade into the background when the new and hottest “look” emerges.

I use Pinterest to create “idea” boards for clients for the different types of sessions that I offer.  We always give clients written guidelines for what does and doesn’t work well for photo sessions (e.g. “Can you bend over in your pants?”). But for folks who are visual, seeing ideas in photograph form can be really helpful.

While I use Pinterest as a tool, it’s also often a photographer’s worst enemy.  Why?  When we have expectations that our family, and our photos, are going to look like the images we see on Pinterest, taken by thousands of different photographers in thousands of studios and beautiful locations around the world, I can guarantee that people will be disappointed by the outcome of their session.  

Why is my relationship with Pinterest complicated?

My relationship with Pinterest: it’s complicated. It sets an expectation for photo session perfection that is often unrealistic and unattainable.  

Here’s how we are helping clients avoid the Pinterest pitfalls this year for their sessions:

-send us photos from your closet and we will help you mix and match what you already have 

-send us 5 photos you love from my website or social media so we can talk about how the poses or locations will work for your family

-share with us why the session is important for you and how you want to feel about the photos.  Do you want to focus on your confidence as a parent? The relationship between your children? Your little one’s newest milestone?  When we focus on what’s important to us (our family and the people in it), the photos we create together will be magical no matter what your outfit looks like!

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