I want to be transparent when it comes to photo sessions with children. Children can be unpredictable. You really never know what you are going to get. We all know this. Let’s be real with one another, be honest.
When it comes to your photo sessions with kids, don’t have all these high expectations on what you think it should be and how it should go. Because a lot of times, it may not go exactly as you think it should. There are going to be times you do everything right before coming to the session. You give your child a nap, you feed them, you try to prepare them, and more. There are sometimes no matter what you do, children have bad days. They are just like we are. We have bad days too.
I tell parents during a session, we are going to try. Most of the time, kids need a warm up period. That is why I always suggest a one hour session. Because most of the time, it takes a good 20-30 minutes for them to warm up. During a session, I try to play with children and have you as parents play with them. Many times they warm up pretty fast when they realize we are going to play. But sometimes, that doesn’t work. If that doesn’t work, we will move on to being silly. We act crazy. Kids love when adults act silly. They usually start laughing and smiling. There are times that I wish I had someone with me to video the parents trying to get their kids to smile or laugh. It’s pretty comical, but I digress! There are times that even acting silly and crazy, doesn’t work.
If I realize children are not going to come around, I will suggest that we reschedule the session. I know sometimes that may seem impossible, especially if we rent a studio or pay for a photography permit. But let’s face it, sometimes we just have to. I have no problem with us rescheduling, because I honestly want you to have the best photos possible. I will give you a ton of suggestions on free locations that we can get this second batch of photos at.
The majority of photos sessions though, kids may start off crying or moody, but by the time it’s finished they are having fun and playing around. I tell parents to not be embarrassed, because I totally get how kids can be. I have a 7 year old niece. It is just a part of life sometimes.
The hardest ages to take photos of children are when they start crawling to about the age of 3. They are mobile, you can really bribe them, you can’t reason with them, they are just hard. But let me tell you, no matter what I will do my best to make your photoshoot successful. I want you to know kids will be kids. I am not bothered by their behaviors. What does bother me, is when I see parents stressing out about what their kids are doing and how they are acting. Please don’t feel that way. I love kids more than you know. I get how they can be. I get that they have bad days. I get they get tired at times. I get they may be hungry. (I recommend bringing a snack and even something to drink to the session.) I get that I may be a stranger to them and until they get to know me, it maybe hard. I get that they may be hot. (I recommend a small handheld fan.) I get that they may have a melt down. (I recommend a favorite toy or if they are smaller a pacifier.) Don’t panic parents. I promise it will be ok. Let’s do this together. Let’s conquer these moments together. Here are some examples of how sessions start and how the end. It’s good I promise. We will get through it.
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