Maybe you’re thinking of booking that family photoshoot, and instantly you get stressed about it. You have a toddler. The untamed ocean of emotions, strong ideas and personality. It may end up as a disaster, you may think. If they don’t cooperate, we won’t get any decent photos.
I hear you. Read on.
How to survive a family photoshoot with a toddler?
They’ll do what they want. Just accept that. Toddlers are very strongly opinionated little humans with their very own vision of what’s appropriate in a moment (talking from experience).
So on a photoshoot with a toddler, we let them lead. Even if the main reason we meet is a little baby that you just welcomed in the family, the older sibling will set the tone.
At the beginning of shoot I try to connect with your toddler first, because if they like me, we have more chances for a success 🙂 Simple. And they usually are the sweetest little humans, very proud of being older sibling, so I wouldn’t worry about the photo outcome.
During the 1,5h-2hours we’ll have time to capture all connections in your family, sometimes all together, sometimes just with the new baby, when the sibling is having a break.
There are things out of our control when it comes to toddlers, if they don’t play the ball, there’s usually nothing we can do about it. But there are things you can do to minimise the possibility of things going south.
1. Don’t have expectations
Photoshoot with toddlers are led by them, we follow their energy and adapt to the situation. Forcing behaviour will make it worse. So if they want to play – we play, if they need a cuddle, we cuddle. If they don’t want to be in the photo, we give them time. Usually during the photoshoot we go through all of the above. I’m prepared with games, prompts, songs to turn the photoshoot into a fun experience for them. All you need to do is follow them and have fun.
2. Don’t say cheese
There are more organic ways to make your toddler smile. Tickles, blowing raspberry on their tummy, playing peekaboo – you know your kido best so prepare to interact! The photos are meant to be about you and your interactions, family dynamics. If you wanted everybody smile and look in the camera type of photos, you could go to a studio 😉
3. Don’t give them sugar
I mean, a treat or a little bribe can be good idea, but beside obvious effects of sugar rush, which may complicate things a bit, we don’t want the outfits stained in chocolate.
To be honest, I like to play with your kiddies and I have lots of patience for them. My boys stretch my calm to the edges sometimes, so there isn’t much I haven’t seen already.
Last thing to remember
And remember, kids can feel you. If you’re stressed, they’ll be anxious too. Trust your photographer, we know what we’re doing 😉 One thing I’m sure of – you’ll have hard time selecting just 10 photos from your gallery 😉
See you soon!
Ania x
Any other questions?
If you have any other questions, feel free to direct message me on Instagram or on my Facebook page.
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