Smiles All Around: Tricks to Ensure Everyone is Happy in your Family Photos
Let’s be really honest here, photography may look easy, but sometimes it takes quite a bit of coaxing to get the best shots because not everyone is comfortable in front of the camera.
Kids especially don’t always have the patience or camera ready attitude and posing can feel like a lot of work. But the one thing I’ve learned is that it’s important for the process to feel natural in times like these.
Asking a kid to persistently smile can be exhausting not for the photographer but also the kid themselves. So it’s important for the parents and the photographers to try to be silly and goofy, while being encouraging to the task at hand to come up with the most candid results. Having a plan is great and all but I think all parents learn the hard way that not everything will always go accordingly, so it’s best to come in unprepared. Yes you heard me. Allow your kids to run the session based off their mood and what they are willing to do. I get that photo shoots are often a timed session, but it’s better to kind of allow the kid to dictate what they are willing to do in terms of solo shots or family shots and recalibrating to their temperament at the time to ensure a better use of the time. It kind of complicates things when you are spending 10 out of 30 minutes trying to coax them to smile or behave in front of the camera.
But most importantly, you want to have fun! This is a time for your photographer to capture your family interacting in a genuine way and yes posed portraits or great, but so are those shots where mom and dad might be tickling the toddler to get them to laugh effortlessly and forget the presence of the camera. It might also be a great moment for a big sister to break out of her shyness by posing naturally to what feels comfortable for her. I know it must feel weird for some kids to get comfortable in front of a stranger with a camera. But it’s all a part of the process and it’s a challenge I accept! I love what I do and I can always work with my clients to ensure more natural shots; trust me, not everyone is always perfect in front of the camera. So tell me about your kids and what they like or dislike and tell me what makes them laugh and I’ll come in prepared for a good time!
In summary, family pictures are really what you make of them and it’s a memory in the process… so let’s work together to make sure you make the most of your shoot and that you and the kids have lots of fun!
