Tips for a Stress-Free Family Photo Session with Young Children
As a Devon & Somerset family photographer, I work with a lot of toddlers & babies. Speaking as a fellow mama, I will start by saying, please don’t spend time worrying about how your child will behave on your photo session; I am all too aware of the big emotions that can come hand in hand with being 2 and hopefully these little tips will put you at ease and make you excited for photo day! Your photo session with me should be a time for you to spend wholly present with your children, no distractions of work and phones. Play games, chat to them, spend a little time doing something just for the fun of it.
Taking photos with toddlers can feel like it might be a bit challenging, but it certainly doesn't have to be stressful. Here are my tips to make your photoshoot stress-free:
1. Choose a time of day when your toddler is well-rested and fed and adjust naps if needed. I am of course a big fan of golden hour - the hour before sunset and the hour after sunrise - and this beautiful soft glowy light may well be what you have in mind when you imagine what your photos will look like. However! It is totally up to you whether you choose to move around nap times to suit the changing times, often quite a bit past bedtime as we head into the warmer months. Most often, your children will be thrilled with a special treat to stay up until the sun goes down anyway!
2. Pick a location that is familiar and comfortable for your toddler. This will help them feel at ease and be more cooperative. Although I have a list of locations that I will share with you upon booking, this list is not exclusive and is only to give you some ideas of places that I have tried and tested. Let me know your favourite spots!
3. Keep it simple, but do feel free to bring a toy that your toddler loves and incorporate it into the shoot. If your child has a specific toy/object that they use as a comforter - or even just the toy of week - please do bring it along. Not only will it be a great distraction and help to provide a sense of familiarity for them, but when you are looking back at your photographs in years to come, it will serve as a sweet reminder as to their personality and of the things they love!
4. Be patient and flexible. Toddlers have short attention spans, so we will absolutely take breaks if needed, and change up the plan/direction of the session if they're not feeling it. I will gently guide your session through several different spots around our chosen location and into different relaxed ‘poses’ (ie switching up different family members to give a rounded gallery). Our session together will always be child-led; if we need to pause at any point to have a snack, a feed or even a power nap, then that’s what we’ll do!
5. Involve your toddler in the process. Let them help choose outfits or poses, and give them positive feedback throughout the shoot. Remember, the goal is to capture genuine moments and memories, not perfect poses.
