Creating a mood board for your family portrait session is a great way to get ideas and inspiration for your upcoming session. More importantly, it allows you clearly show what images you would like from your family portrait session. It is strongly suggested you put together a mood board and share it with your photographer before your session. This will give your photographer a clear understanding of what images you want for your session so they can deliver pictures you will cherish forever.
What is a Mood Board
A mood board is a collection of images that represent the look and feel you are going for with your portraits. This collection of images allows you to communicate your ideas and expectations to your photographer.
For example, if you are wanting a rustic family portrait, your mood board might be filled with images of families in the woods, or in a field with the sun setting behind them. If you want a more formal family portrait, your mood board might be filled with images of families in suits and dresses, or in front of a grand fireplace. Get creative with your mood board and let it be a true representation of what you are hoping to get from your family portraits.
However, a mood board is not a shot list. It is not a list of specific shots you want from your session. It’s meant to be more general in order to give your photographer an idea of what kind of images you are looking for.
Shot lists are not recommended as they turn into a checklist for a photographer to knock off standard shots. This will prevent your photographer from being creative and focus their attention on recreating or duplicating images, resulting in bland and stiff images. Giving control to your photographer will result in much better images.
If there are certain images you just have to have, work with your photographer to figure out the best way to get those specific shots while still allowing them to be creative and showcasing the amazing personality of your family.
Why you should create a Mood Board for your Family Portrait Session
Photography is a visual medium, meaning it is difficult to explain in words what type of images you are looking for during your family portrait session. The only natural way to present your vision for your photo session is through visual means. A mood board helps you show what you want and will be a great starting point for your discussion and planning with your family photographer.
Allows for clear communication
The mood board sets your photographer for success because they will know what you are looking for and will be more likely to deliver the images you desire. No surprises, no disappointments.
Determine photography style preference
A mood board helps you determine your photography style preferences. There are many different photography styles. Do you want to be posed in formal family portraits or more candid and natural-looking images? Do you like dark and moody images or light and bright pictures? Spending time to put together a mood board will help you determine the style of photos you prefer.
Can help you select a photographer
It also allows you to see if a photographer’s style is a good fit for what you are imagining. Not all photographers specialize in the same style. Some may be better at candid and natural-looking images, while others excel at more formal family portraits. Reviewing a photographer’s portfolio and blog will give you an idea of their style but putting together your mood board before will help you pick the right photographer for the job.
Family agreement
Your mood board can help get your family on the same page. Everyone has their taste and preferences. To ensure everyone in the family gets the images they want from the session, put together a mood board with various ideas that everyone can agree on. Ensuring your family portrait session is a success, and everyone is happy with the final images.
How to create a Mood Board
The best and easiest way to create a mood board and share it with your photographer is on Pinterest. You can either create a secret board that only you and your photographer can see, or you can make the board public so that anyone can view it.
Create a Pinterest account
If you do not already have a Pinterest account, you will need to create one. You can sign up for an account here: https://www.pinterest.com/. Simply head over to Pinterest and create your account by clicking on the “Sign up” button in the top right-hand corner of the home page.
Then, follow the on-screen instructions to finish setting up your account. You can use your existing Facebook or Google account to sign up for Pinterest, or you can create a new account using your email address. Once you have completed all of the steps, you will be logged in and ready to start creating your mood board.
Create a new board
Once you have logged in, click on your profile in the top right-hand. When you are on your profile page click on the “+” button and select “Board”.
You can also add a description if you’d like. Then click on the “Create Board” button.
Start pining
Now that you have created your board, it’s time to start pining. You can search images on Pinterest and the internet. If you see an image you like or that inspires you, simply hover over the image and click on the “Save” or “Pin it” button. A new window will pop up and you can select which board you would like to save the image to. Select your newly created family portrait session mood board.
Repeat this process until you have a good selection of images saved to your board.
The key is to find a good assortment of images that you are drawn to.
Add descriptions to pins
To help your photographer understand why you selected an image or pin, add descriptions to each one. Simply hover over the images on your board and select the “edit” icon. Under the “Note to self” or “Note to group” section, you can add a brief description of why you liked or were inspired by the image.
A simple one or two sentence description will do. For example, you may write:
- “I like the way the family is interacting in this image”
- “I really like the lighting in this photo”
- “I love the warm tones in this picture”.
Sharing why you pinned an image to your board will help your photographer get a better understanding of what you are looking for during your session.
Share your board with your photographer
Now that you have created your mood board, it is time to share it with your photographer.
If you made your board public, simply send them the link to your board.
If you made your board private, you will have to give your photographer access. To give them access, go to your board, and click on the “+” button just below the board’s title. From here you can invite your photographer to view your mood board.
What does an ideal Moodboard look like
The ideal mood board is one that is full of images that inspire you. In general, your mood board should showcase the feel and mood you want from your family portrait session.
A few characteristics of an ideal mood board are:
- Not too many images, a board of 20-30 images is just fine
- A good mix of images showcasing the feel of the session
- Examples of poses (individual and group) you love
- Descriptions of why you like certain images
- Includes images from your session location or a similar location
- Includes images from your photographer
Tips when creating your mood board
Here are some tips to help you while you put your mood board together:
Have a general idea to start with
It can be easy to get overwhelmed by all the ideas and images on the internet. If you are having trouble getting started, it is a good idea to come up with a general feel for your session first. For instance, do you want your session to feel warm and natural? Rustic? Glamorous?
Use the adjectives that describe the feeling you are going for to help in your search. An example would be “rustic family portraits” or “glamorous family portraits ideas.” Once you start adding images to your board you will get more clear on what you exactly want for your session.
Get ideas from your location
Use the location of your session to get ideas for your mood board. If you are having an indoor session, look at images from other indoor locations like homes or studios. If you are having an outdoor session, look at images from other outdoor locations like parks or fields. You can even look for images at an exact location.
You can also use the location to get ideas for props or wardrobes. If you are having a session at a park, look through park family pictures to get ideas such as bringing a blanket to sit on or other props that would go well in a park setting.
Include style ideas
Use your mood board for more than just the feel of the photography session. You can also use it as a way to help plan what everyone will wear. Search for “family portrait wardrobe ideas” or “what to wear for family photos” and pin any images that inspire you.
Plan hairstyles and prop ideas. Use the mood board to plan the entire style and feel of the session from start to finish!
Add images from your photographer
If you already selected your photographer, it is a great idea to spend time looking through their website, blog, and portfolio to get an idea of what types of images you would like for your family portrait session. As they will be the ones taking your pictures, use their past work to inspire your family portrait session.
Show off your personality
There are a lot of great ideas out there but are they really you? Everything you put on your mood board should express who you and your family are. So, if you are a fun and energetic family, make sure your mood board reflects that.
If you are more reserved and classic, make sure your mood board reflects that as well. The key is for your family portraits to represent you and your family’s personality.
Example Mood Board by Marshal Snead Photography for inspiration
If you are having difficulty building your own mood board, use these examples to help you get started.
