This is the best kept secret out there. How do we get kids to sit for a photoshoot? Thirty, forty five minutes. Sometimes a whole hour!
The answer is simpler than you think. You don’t!
When I go out to photograph kids in the beautiful locations I have available here in the Portland, OR area, we walk, dance, throw rocks, jump, have races, play hide and seek and yes, I look very dorky while I’m doing it. But I don’t care! I just want you to have a wonderful, relaxed Family Session.
The secret to keeping kids engage with anything is the same secret I use for my family sessions. Having fun! So here are a few tips on how we get results like this:
Number 1 – We never say cheese
One thing you will never hear me say to anyone in your family is “smile”! My photography style is candid, emotive and natural. I prefer to go with the flow and photograph a range of emotions rather than just forced smiles. When you look back at your family photos I want you to remember your child’s personality and essence at that age, and that includes all the emotions that come with it. Smiles will come naturally when they feel comfortable.
Number 2 – We Play
I’ve been known to play hide and seek, shark attack, peekaboo and many other silly things with kids in my family sessions. Why? Because I love kids and I think they are the most precious thing in this planet. They make me smile and I’m happy to return the favor. Moms and dads can join in too. You get to be a kid for an hour with me.
Number 3 – We take it slow and easy
Listen, I have a kid. I know how kids go when it comes to doing exactly that one thing we want them to do. So, if your kids are running around when we want them to stay in one place with the whole family, don’t worry ( unless they’re running into water or a busy road, of course). What I mean is, eventually we will get the shot, if it helps them to take it easy and slow at first, we will go with that.
Number 4 – We manage the grown ups, not the kids
Most of the time, we are the ones stressing about our kids behavior, dirty outfit or lack of smiles during a photo session. So, I’m here to tell you that I will be sure to remind you to relax and enjoy the moment. Let me worry about how to document those beautiful moments for you.
Number 5 – We keep it short
As a mother of a five year old I am well aware that kids’ patience and attention spam are only reserved for watching Daniel Tiger fifty times in a row. So, I keep our sessions at 45 mins to one hour. That’s the optimum time for us to get comfortable with each other, grab amazing shots and finish just before they have a big meltdown. So, don’t put it off booking a session because you think your kids might not be into it. They probably won’t and that’s totally ok, you will still end up with beautiful images to take home.
