My favourite jobs are always the ones when parents let their children have fun! Yes it’s important to get a staple photo of everyone smiling and looking at the camera but what a lot of people don’t realise is that sometimes the best photos are when you’re not looking at me and you’re in the moment. Having your family photos taken does not need to be stressful. Here’s one of the best family sessions I’ve done in 2022 and a few simple ways you can prepare to have the best experience on the day of your photo shoot.
FIRSTLY - IF IT TURNS TO SH**, IT’S OK
I’ve seen it all.. there’s not anything that will shock or bother me when photographing kids. Don’t feel like you need to apologise for a tantrum or something that your kid said. I’m there to work through all of that, I have thick skin and I have a few tricks up my sleeve. When you don’t realise it I’ll be capturing moments. Every time when the photo shoot feels like it’s gone terribly for parents they are always pleasantly surprised by the photos taken in between the chaos.
PREPARE YOUR CHILDREN
Start talking to your children about the photoshoot a few days prior to get them familiar with the idea. Talk about it with excitement but also make it sound normal and fun, you don’t want to overwhelm them with expectations of how you think it will go. Tell them what to expect from your photographer. You can tell your children that your photographer is a friend, so they don’t seem like a stranger.
EXPECTATIONS
If you go into your photoshoot feeling stressed and nervous about how your toddler or kids are going to behave, the chances are they are going to pick up on this tension. They might not want to sit still, look at the camera and smile. If you put pressure on them it might make it harder. My best piece of advice is to go with the flow and work with your photographer to capture natural moments together, these are often the best photos! You might need to make it fun and let your child play, be convincing that its fun!
LISTEN AND GO WITH THE FLOW
Towards the end of your session let your kids run in the sand and roll in the grass, create a fun memory with them. Children will go through different stages and phases. They may only want one parent to hold them and getting them on their own isn’t going to happen without tears. The best way to work with children is to not force them but to comfort them, they might be nervous! Work with what you can. Sometimes bribes can work, or perhaps they just need their favourite toy.
Would love to hear if this post resonated with you or eased some of your worries going into your photo session! Also let me know if you love this style of photographer over the more formal and posted look of family photos!