Don’t Dread Picture Day

One of my clients told me how she was not looking forward to picture day, they have a young family with busy little toddlers. To them, picture day is stressful and involves tears and is as popular as a root canal.

As a Mom of 4 small kids, I can completely empathize! Formally posed pictures and little kids do not always go hand in hand but there are some tips and tricks I can share with you to get those family photos you desire.

First, lower all expectations! Getting everyone looking at the camera and smiling may NOT happen. But I aim to get everyone looking at the camera. With adults and older children I ask them to at all times look at the camera and let me work on coaching a smile or even the attention of the littler ones.

Sometimes little ones just need to get up and run around a little bit, no problem! Allow them get those wiggles out and act silly with them and MAKE IT FUN! As a photographer, I always have my camera ready and I am just waiting for those little moments to happen. They may not be perfectly posed and smiling but they are authentic, real and they are 99% of the time my clients FAVORITE pictures.  I snapped this picture of these two sisters, it was so sweet and cute, it is one of my favorites.

 

 Second, make sure everyone arrives with full bellies. Hungry children and adults can cause everyone to get a little cranky. I also suggest brining a snack, something that is not messy, and then give me that snack to me to use as bribery. Let’s face it, kids are SMART! They can sense the desperation in their parent’s voices. They know you are begging them to be good, they sense you are not just going to walk away from this  and this can lead to some naughtiness. However, when I hold that elusive treat, they don’t know me. They don’t know how far to push me…it often can be very effective.

Try to schedule the session for a time that works for your little ones. If they normally nap in the morning, don’t schedule a session for that time. 

 

Bring a spare outfit just in case, bring something to wipe their faces with…little ones have a knack for getting dirty:) And dress for the weather. Cute outfits are nice but the focus is on your faces, and warm and dry little ones (and adults) make sessions so much easier.

And third, be prepare to act very, very silly!!  Nothing makes a 15 month old laugh harder then seeing Mommy doing jumping jacks behind the photographer’s head;) For older kids I may break out the very cool phone app with fart noises. Gross? You betcha! But it will make 12 year old boys give those genuine smiles that you see so rarely! Let me know what your kids love, what makes them laugh.

Working together, we can make well prepared sessions fun. I want you walking away realizing that if your kids were wiggly, or making face that is honestly does not faze me one bit. They are just being kids and sitting down and smiling is a little bit boring.

So, don’t stress, my kids are much worse then yours:) I literally have to chase them down with the camera. With Mom as a photographer, they are a little too used to a camera in their face. When I decided to do our Christmas card, not one of the pictures was ‘perfect’ but looking at the numerous tries was more fun then the final result. This shows truly who my kids are at this time and I managed to capture a memory.