9 Tips for a Successful Photo Session with Children

We all know that family photos are so important but actually having a successful session with children, no matter their age does take some preparation and there really is an art to getting it right.

Here is my checklist of things that go a long way to ensuring your photo session is a success and that you get the images you have your heart set on.

1. Book your session for when you know your child will be awake and happy. 

Booking your session at a time when you child normally takes a nap is a recipe for disaster. Early morning sessions normally go much better than afternoon sessions. Make the effort to schedule the session around your children and it will be so worth it.

The perfect family photo! This mum just loves this photo because it captures exactly what her son is like.

2. Feed your child before the session. 

Also, pack something to drink during the session. I do not recommend bringing along snacks as once you have taken them out of the bag you will not get them back and we will have sticky faces and fingers.

3. Bring more than one outfit. 

Make sure you always have backup clothes just in case. I suggest dressing your child just before you get in the car and after they have had all food and drink. 

4. Let your child help when picking out their clothes for the session 

By letting your child wear his favourite shirt or shoes will help him feel more comfortable. If his choice of clothing is awful or doesn’t match, see if you can use that shirt as an undershirt or tell him he can put it on for a couple of shots at the end of the session. You can also bring along the outfit you really would like your child to wear and I'll convince them to put it on.

5. Have a bribe in place. 

This one is a little more tricky. The key is to not tell your child what the bribe is. Let me know what you are planning so I can use it when I need to during the session. Often if you tell little ones up front what the bribe is they cannot wait that long to get it and they start to get restless.

 6. Bring along her favorite toy or blanket. 

This will help your child be comfortable in a new and unfamiliar surrounding. Just be aware that this will probably become a prop in some of the photos, so bring something that is pleasing to the eyes or has sentimental value and you’d be okay with photos of it.

7. Talk to your child about the session and explain what’s going to happen.

If your child is informed about the situation, it will be less scary for her when she comes to the session. Tell her that she is going to meet a new friend who is going to take some photos of her. Let her know that you’ll be there with her and that we are going to have lots of fun. We might change her clothes once or twice and ask her to sit a certain way. During the session I will show her a couple of the photos so she can put two and two together.

8. Wear comfortable shoes. 

It is a good idea to wear comfortable shoes to a session like this, as it’s challenging to chase a little one around in flip-flops or heels. During the session, I may ask you to grab your child if he keeps running out of the frame. Or I may have us walking around exploring, so we need to be prepared to keep our feet safe and comfortable.

9. Have Fun

I have three kiddies of my own and I love working with children. Take a seat on the floor right behind me to ensure your child looks in the camera and just relax. Taking photos of children is not about having them sit still and give us a fake smile. It is about capturing the essence of who they are. That includes funny faces and then running out of the picture too.

CONTACT US to find out more or CLICK HERE to book your family photo session.

I hope you have a great day!

Family Photo Session with a Difference

When Heloise called and asked for a family photo session but she wanted to do it on a construction site my creative juices kicked into overdrive. For safety reasons we're not allowed on a construction site but who says we cab't use oversized construction vehicles instead?

So, Pieta, my very creative Studio Manager, found us some gigantic, bright yellow construction vehicles that were not in use and got us permission to use them for a family photo session. A very big thank you to Coleman Transport for letting us use them.

So off we trekked to the plot just outside of Windhoek and set about having a fantastic photo session with Heloise, her hubby and her two amazing boys.

So if you would like something out of the ordinary book a construction vehicle family photo session by CLICKING HERE or CONTACT US to find out more.

I hope you have a great day!

How to cope if your newborn photo session isn't going to plan

We’ve all seen those adorable photos of new, little babies looking so peaceful and relaxed with not a care in the world.  As new parents, we want similar photos of our children to send out to grandparents, make into screensavers, and blast out to our social media pages to show off our amazing baby. But then session day comes around and BAM! – your baby does not want anything to do with it.

You’re thinking, “Why won’t you stop crying? I’ve literally done everything I can think of, but you’re still not happy. Don’t you know I’m paying good money for this session? My friend's baby cooperated in her session, why can’t you just go to sleep and let us get some nice photos?!”  If this happens during your session, I want you to stop, breathe and remember one thing: all newborns cry. 

This is perfectly natural and not abnormal. There is nothing wrong with your baby for doing it. It is nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately babies pick up on our stress and get even more distressed. I know I certainly did not want to be told to relax when I was a new mum; I got stressed just trying to relax! 

But don’t let the crying upset you. I am not at all distressed and have learned to go with baby's flow. Embrace this moment in time. When you are holding your crying baby in your arms and are soothing him, true emotion shows through and those are often the photographs that you will treasure the most. Your child can look back at these photos once they’re all grown and remember the solace that they found in your arms. These tender moments are just as important, if not more so, than the sleeping, posed photos.

The point of booking a newborn session is to help you preserve the first memories of your child’s life. While posed photos are cute, you’re not going to look back and think, “Remember how cute she was whenever she would lounge around the house in the froggie  pose?” because that didn’t happen. You’ll look back at these photos and remember all the nights you walked your baby around the house or rocked him in a chair and hummed lullabies to try to calm him down. Those times are very stressful, but they also help you form a bond and that’s what makes these photos treasured.

All that being said, you will not just get crying photos if things are not going as planned. I am quite happy to wait for baby to settle and become relaxed and peaceful. I am not at all rushed. Your baby is a little person and as much as we would love him to sleep for three hours solid and pose like a model he most probably won't. She is perfect in every way and even if she is awake I can still take photographs of her little hands, feet, lips and ears. You will get photographs that you will treasure for the rest of your life no matter what happens in the session.

The photos in this post are of babies that did not sleep throughout their session and things did not go according to plan. Not so bad after all.

I hope you have a great day!