I’ve got you covered…
GET MY FAMILY SESSION PLANNING GUIDE
Planning a photoshoot is no easy task, get invaluable insight, experience and advice from my planning guide. I promise you’ll love it.
My 7 tried and true Tips to win any Photoshoot with little ones
Let’s be honest, my little ones are my whole world, but they certainly make logistics and life in general a little more complicated. So after years of experience as a photographer and a mother, I’ve compiled some tips and tricks that I have found to be helpful.
1. When choosing an outfit for young children, avoid any collars or coats that will cover part of their face. Keep in mind that when a baby or toddler is being held, everything tends to ride up, so anything with a big collar inevitably blocks that cute little face that we want to see in the pictures.
2. Try not to dress your little one until you get to the location. Kids often get car sick or get into some kind of shenanigan on the way to pictures. Somehow it seems that on the day of your session all the things just go wrong. I know it may seem backwards to show up not ready but dressing them on location can avoid a lot of potential issues. Just plan to arrive a bit earlier and have all the kiddo’s clothes pressed and placed carefully into the car. You will want to double (or triple) check and make sure you have everything you need. For important events, I like to pack the car in advance with their clothes (and food if needed), that way I have time to get myself ready without later running around like a chicken without a head.
3. Hype up the shoot to your kids (And or husband too). If you are really excited about it and express your excitement they will get excited too. Make a whole day or activity out of it if you can. There’s nothing like grabbing dinner or ice cream to celebrate the memories you just captured or are planning on capturing together later in the day. This also helps everyone really look forward to family pictures year after year.
4. Stay calm and happy no matter how the shoot goes. Like I just said, kids pick up on our emotions, so try to put out good vibrations. If a kiddo is being especially difficult or uncooperative, don’t stress! Kids are kids, we can still get beautiful pictures and make great memories (even easier if Mom and Dad still look happy). So even if your three year old is having a major melt down, keep a pleasant face, comfort them and you will be surprised at how beautiful the images turn out to be. I love to capture those real, genuine moments, so don’t feel like everything needs to look perfect for the camera.
5. Make sure your kids are fed, I know in all the rush this important little detail can be forgotten. Grab them a snack on the way out the door, so that no one gets too hangry during the shoot. Personally, I avoid food or treats during the actual session. What seems like good way to keep kids involved or motivated just turns into awkward chewing faces and candy smudged clothes.
6. If your little one has a favorite comfort item (binky, stuffed animal, book, ect) feel free to bring it along. It can help them feel more comfortable and can be fun to have some pictures with an item that has become a part of your family’s story.
7. To get pictures of the little ones looking at the camera, it is best to stay back and let the photographer do the work. Naturally, Mom and Dad know their kiddo better and can easily get them to smile, but that causes the little one to look in the direction of the parents rather than connecting with the camera. Usually, I have no trouble getting your kiddo to smile and look at the camera. On the rare occasion I do, I will ask Mom or Dad to stand right behind me so it appears like your little one is looking towards the camera rather than off to the side or above me.
Interested in more tips and information to make your planning easy peasy and stress free?
