I want to share with you some helpful tips for a successful children’s session. Disclaimer: this is mainly aimed at children 3 and under. I’ve worked with many children since I started my photography journey and have seen all different types of personalities! I want to assure all parents that no matter what type of personality your child might have we will always capture some amazing memories!
HELPFUL TIPS FOR CHILDREN’S SESSION:
1. Work with THEIR schedule when booking your children’s session.
I had to put this step as number one because I truly believe it is the MOST important. Let’s face it, whether we think so or not, most children have some sort of schedule. The first question I ask after someone books their children’s session is: when is your child the happiest? For some children, this is first thing in the morning or maybe after their naps. Whatever time this is for your children make sure you set your session around it. I do not recommend scheduling a session right before a nap because they will be very unhappy or even fall asleep during their session. Upon booking, you are more than welcome to discuss your children’s schedule with me and I can help you pick the right time.
2. Bring their favorite toy or character along.
With older children some times I encourage candy; however, most of the kids in my children’s sessions are 2 and under. I definitely don’t recommend bringing candy to your session especially if you will be bringing a smash cake. Instead, I strongly encourage you to bring your child’s favorite toy! One thing that a past client did was bring a brand new stuffed animal to our session. Their daughter had never seen this toy before so when she saw it for the first time it made her smile big time! I do not recommend anything that rolls otherwise we’ll be chasing them around most of our session. Keep in mind that toys are only a backup in case your child is a little shy so keep it out of sight until needed.
3. Bring a helper!
Now for this tip, I don’t mean to start drama BUT bring your children’s favorite (or second favorite) person with you! This should be a person your child is used to seeing and is familiar with. Maybe an older sibling, the opposite parent, or a grandparent. I must also stress that it is not recommended to bring more than 1 other person to your session. Too many people can overstimulate your child!
4. Outfits
I know as parents sometimes we buy every cute outfit we find at Target but please stick with your top two! Most children I know do not enjoy being changed let alone having to change more than once. My tip is to pick two outfits, a formal outfit and then a more casual outfit (especially if they will have a cake). One other thing to consider is to keep the outfits simple. You don’t want an outfit that takes you 10 minutes to put on. This will only cause you and your child to get frustrated. If you are doing a cake smash I typically recommend taking pictures with the formal outfit first then change to the casual outfit for the cake.
5. Reschedule
This is a simple one but if your child is feeling under the weather please reschedule your session. Just think if you were feeling sick would you like to go do a photoshoot? No! Children don’t want to do anything but cuddle (or cry) when they are sick. There is only one thing that could really make your session unsuccessful and that is a sick child!
5-B
To piggyback off of tip number 5, I want to suggest scheduling your session at least 1 month before their first birthday. This not only ensures you’ll have your photos back in time for their birthday but also gives you flexibility in case you need to reschedule.
6. Relax!!
Remember, these are great memories, and your children are young! During my children’s sessions, I try shoot the formal portraits first, and everything else after that is all about their personalities! Your children may give us everything we need in 15 minutes, take the first 15 minutes to warm up, or we may be chasing them the entire 30 minutes. Every single one of those scenarios is OKAY! Relax! I assure you that even if you have the most adventurous kids we will get all the shots you could hope for and more.
Children’s Session Overview
I hope all of you find these tips helpful for your next children’s session! One last helpful tip for parents who choose Momentos Photography is to try to answer the questionnaire I send out to all my families. This questionnaire is my way to get to know your little one before our session and it gives you a space to write down any worries you might have. Mention this blog at the time of booking and get a free 16×20 print with your session.
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