Here’s how you can channel your inner Taylor Swift at your next family portrait session!    SOAK IT UP. One thing Taylor has always done at her shows is stop and take it all in. She’ll stand there with a huge smile on her face as she listens to the crowd cheering her on. She is completely present in the moment and knows how special it is.  You can do this too! During your session, make sure you take a beat to stop and appreciate the moment. Enjoyall the love – even if it comes in the form of sloppy kisses and attack hugs 😉   HAVE FUN WITH IT!  You can tell that Taylor has so much fun up on that stage. She has a job to do, but she also knows life is way too short to not have a little fun.  I know that sometimes you feel pressure at your family portrait session – we have a job to do too – but you are 100% allowed to have some fun while we do it. One thing I’ve started to recommend is *no disciplining* at our sessions (within reason, of course) – this is to minimize bad energy and maximize good energy. The more good energy we create, the more fun we have!  And by the way, if you’ve never had a session with me, it really is 99% fun and games. There’s not a lot of standing around “cheesing” at the camera. So be prepared to have an unconventional (and oh-so-fun) experience!   BE YOURSELF, UNAPOLOGETICALLY. Ooof. This is such a hard lesson to really learn. I think it took Taylor years to truly be herself. But once she did, she started creating literal masterpieces.  The world needed the real Taylor, just like the world needs the real YOU – especially when we are capturing the heart of your family. Years from now, once all of today’s fads have gone away, you’re going to want photos that feel like YOU. You’re going to want photos that bring you back to real moments with your people. So at your next session, just be you. Show me your goof (I’m certainly going to show you mine), let your kids be wild (trust me, that’s my favorite), don’t be afraid to make suggestions OR tell me a certain shot or pose that doesn’t feel like you. You will love your photos that much more!   WEAR SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE A QUEEN (OR KING!) I wore something to the Eras tour that I would have never worn in a MILLION YEARS in my everyday life in DC: a fringe crop top and green glitter eye shadow – it felt so indulgent and I loved every second.  The same goes for Taylor. She clearly chose outfits that made her feel like the goddess queen angel-sent-from-above that she is. SO much glitter, SO much color, SO much flair in the form of capes, flowy dresses, and gowns shaped like a cupcake. So for your session – be indulgent. Be a queen. Go ALL out. Find a dress/blouse/outfit that you love. Get your hair and makeup done – and maybe your nails too. Feel free to take this opportunity to wear something you wouldn’t dream of wearing in your everyday life!    DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. At my Eras tour show, Taylor made SO MANY MISTAKES. She thanked the wrong opening artist, she messed up the lyrics to Speak Now, she had wardrobe malfunctions, her mic pack came unplugged, she couldn’t find her marker for her epic stage dive…but you know what, I loved ALL OF IT. It added pizazz to the experience. It showed everyone in that audience that even the professionals – the best of the best – make mistakes. Things will happen and you have to just let it go. What does this look like at a family portrait session? Maybe brother hit his head an hour before your session and now he has a black and blue bruise right smack dab in the middle of his forehead. Or maybe baby only slept 4 hours the night before your shoot – and now you’re both exhausted. Or maybe you have a really cranky toddler who is normally a ray of sunshine. I’ve seen all of these things happen – multiple times. The key is to know things will go wrong but also know that at the end of all of this, you’re going to have amazing photos that make your heart-explode. No matter what!