Family photoshoots always bring me so much joy. They remind me why my job as a photographer is so important. I always feel so accomplished when parents come back to me with feedback saying they love the photos and appreciated how easy going the photoshoot was.
Some parents feel anxiety leading up to their family session as they want the day to go smoothly and hope their children will behave for photos. If you’ve got children there is some planning that can help ease this feeling. Going into your session with an open and positive mindset is the first place to start! I’m definitely one to go with the flow and get children on my side before I take photos of them. Heres how you can have a stress free photoshoot.
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.
DAY OF THE SESSION
On the day of your shoot, make sure everyone is fed and not coming into the session hungry. Wait until everyone has eaten before changing into your outfits for the shoot. You may want to wait until you arrive at your location before changing younger children or toddlers into their outfits.
EXPECTATIONS
If you go into your photoshoot feeling stressed and nervous about how your toddler is 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
Toddlers 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 toddlers 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.
LIFESTYLE FAMILY PHOTO SESSIONS
My family photo sessions are fun, relaxed and easy going. I’ve photographed families with children of different ages and every session will be slightly different. I use all of the tips mentioned above in order to capture the best moments of your family.