Gianna's Gem: Strike a Pose, Vogue-Worthy, Drama (and Trauma) Free

hi there,

If you’re anything like my friends and clients, you probably know the scene. It’s the second Saturday of November, the holiday card deadline is breathing down your neck, and you’re tearing through closets trying to find anything navy that still fits your eldest. Someone’s lost a shoe. Someone else is crying because the collar is “itchy.” The sky, which was clear all week, has picked this exact morning to turn grey and spit rain. By the time you get to the location, you’ve bribed, threatened, and negotiated, and your photographer is gently asking everyone to “just look happy and relaxed.”

For a lot of families, the annual photo shoot is something to survive, for kids, it feels like torture. But it doesn’t have to be. 

Gianna’s Gem: Why not take a pain point and instead elevate it into a delightful experience?

In my TEDx talk, I shared a simple framework for making any occasion more memorable: Intention + Personalisation + Delight. 

It works for milestone birthdays and big events, but it works just as well for the small, recurring moments and every day interactions that you wish were more memorable and less painful.

 So this week, I’m sharing my strategy for what I’ve found to be one of the most dreaded rituals on the family calendar.

Intention: Plan it WAY in advance.

The single biggest stress-reducer? Schedule it way earlier than you think you need to. Booking early gives you breathing room if someone gets sick or you get rained out, and it accounts for the fact that photos can take up to a month to come back edited.

I book ours in September or October, before the weather turns and while we still have our summer glow. That way, by the time the photos arrive, I have plenty of stress-free time to design the holiday cards instead of scrambling in December when I have absolutely no time to spare.

Pro tip: Pick a colour-palette early, too. When you choose two or three coordinating colours weeks in advance, “matching outfits” stops being a last-minute panic and becomes a fun little shopping (or closet-raiding) project.

Personalisation: Make the location mean something

Every year, I co-create the experience by asking the family: Which San Francisco location represents our year?

During COVID, we chose the Presidio because we’d hiked there almost every weekend. It became a place that held the story of that strange, slower year, so the photos now do too. Last year we chose Golden Gate Park because we spent weekends biking there as a family. Curious about this year’s? If you email me I might just add you to our mailing list. 

Why this works: Co-Creation. When everyone gets a say, the shoot stops being “Mom’s thing” and becomes our thing.

This year we returned to a location in San Francisco where we hadn’t shot since Giacomo was one. So we pulled a few shots from his first-birthday session and recreated them. It was hilarious, especially the one of Garrett hoisting him up on his shoulder, since Giacomo now weighs nearly as much as I do. Those side-by-side “then and now” photos are already family favourites.

Delight: Bring the party with you

Set the ambiance. I always pack a portable Bluetooth speaker, water, fun snacks, and a couple of mini cans of sparkling wine (one for me, one for our photographer). Music loosens everyone up, snacks prevent meltdowns, and a little toast makes it feel like an occasion.

Make it playful. We always do a few shots in sunglasses. One year I brought a rainbow-spectrum umbrella as a prop. And we always take some deliberately silly photos, which go on the back of the holiday card. The funny ones are often what people remember most.

Keep the celebration going. You’re all dressed up, so don’t waste it! Plan a fun lunch or dinner afterwards, (and bring those conversation cards!). It’s the perfect excuse to celebrate another year together for no reason other than you’re a family, you love each other, and you made it through another portrait sesh.

Do this once, and something shifts. The photo shoot becomes a celebrated tradition: the day the kids help pick the place, the day there’s music and snacks, the day that ends with a family dinner. It becomes something everyone, including you, actually looks forward to.

And the cherry on top? The photos will turn out better too. 

Thank me by sending me yours - I love the one time of year when I look forward to opening my mail!

Gianna Recommends: Emily Jenks Photography

Our family photographer for years now has been Emily Jenks, and I can’t imagine working with anyone else. She’s a San Francisco–based wedding, family, and portrait photographer, and her story is a gem in itself: she’s an attorney-turned-photographer who left law after realising it wasn’t fulfilling, and found her second career after her husband signed her up for a photography class. As a mum of two boys (plus two dogs and a tortoise), she knows firsthand how precious family moments are. She’s so relaxed yet logistics are handled seamlessly and well in advance.

What I love most about her approach is that she’s skilled at posing you so photos look and feel natural, but she also encourages you to stay present in the moment so she can capture real emotion and connection. That’s exactly the kind of shoot my framework is built for. 

But here’s why she’s earned my loyalty: Emily isn’t just great at her craft, she’s as professional as they come. One year, before she even told me that she and her daughter had COVID the week of our shoot which was our 10 year wedding anniversary shoot, she had already found me a replacement photographer. She came to me with the solution, not just the problem. That’s a pro tip anyone, in any profession, can learn from. And I’ve never worked with another family portrait photographer since.

Beyond family sessions, she also shoots milestone birthdays, holiday parties, weddings, elopements (from SF City Hall to Big Sur and Yosemite), and newborn, maternity, and boudoir sessions at her natural light studio in the Inner Sunset. I’ve even brought her to shoot my corporate events. Happy to connect you personally - it would delight me to share the light.

XX,

Gianna

Want to live with more intention, personalisation and delight?

Book a 15 - 60 minute consulting call here on INTRO: intro.co/GiannaGaudini

p.s. If you are interested in joining my next virtual cohort for intentional living, drop me a note and I’ll get you on the waitlist.