6 Guidelines I Use for Getting Great Pictures of My Kids
And, then there were four...Yes, four. Now that Rita is born, I get a lot of, “Awwww. Your second?” accompanied by knowing nods. When I respond with, “fourth, actually!” I get some looks that are downright entertaining. 3 boys and 1 girl. Wow. How do I get them to cooperate for pictures? I have heard: “Megan’s kids must be so used to having their picture taken.” Or, “They must be so well-behaved.” Or, “My kids would never behave enough to do a photo shoot.” The one I hear most often is, “I could only handle doing a mini session. A full session would be too much for my family.” Here’s the truth: My kids aren’t good for photo shoots. At all. Most kids aren’t. My kids are probably the most difficult subjects I ever photograph. Period. There’s a good reason I don’t post pictures of my two older boys very often…they hate it. And, if I tried to cram a session into 20 minutes like a mini session I would NEVER get pictures of them all. What DOES work is this:
I prepare them ahead of time. I let them know when we are leaving, where we are going and what breakouts I want to try to accomplish (a picture of all 4 of them, individuals of each, each with Rita, Andrew and Finn, etc.). I also tell them how long it will take and offer something fun for afterwards. I don’t use that something fun as a bribe for the photos or things go downhill fast. The best way to ensure you will get zero more pictures during a shoot is to say, “If you don’t smile nice, we aren’t getting ice cream!” (picture child sticking out tongue at parent and spirit deflating)
I don’t make a HUGE deal out of what they wear even though it is really important to me. For younger kids it is easier to dress them how you would like them to look. Older kids (and husbands for that matter) have an identity and can be particular about what they want to wear…or don’t want to wear. My older boys know what I WANT them to wear. I have wasted enough of my time trying to force them into light colors, khaki pants, brown shoes and no prints or logos for them to know. What does work better is to respect their individuality by letting them know what you would like them to wear but allow them to choose in the end. I would rather my kids are actually happy with how they look and have fun on the shoot then have a whole bunch of photos of them in super cute clothes looking miserable and fake smiling.
I let them choose who they stand next to if possible. I don’t force anyone to touch if they aren't getting along at the moment. It just doesn’t work. Then, I try again later if it is a “must get” shot.
I use lots and lots of patience and encouragement. If they are making silly faces I tell them they are the best silly faces I have ever seen. Guess what happens when you do that vs. telling them to stop making faces? They smile. 😊They smile a genuine smile. And, it’s really cool. Then, I show them the back of my camera and tell them how great they are doing. Sometimes it leads to more smiles and great pictures. Sometimes it doesn’t. We roll with it.
I let them throw the rocks and pick up the sticks and get dirty. Kids need to be kids. If they need to throw that rock, do it! And, tell them how great they are at it (as long as they didn’t throw it AT someone). Guess what happens. They smile. 😊 I would rather have a picture of my kids laughing and having fun full of joy with mud on their pants than clean and looking unhappy.
Don’t try to cram it into a 20-minute mini session. Mini sessions are a GREAT option if you know your family can follow directions every time and won’t need any “warm up time.” They go QUICK. 20-30 minutes do not leave much time for the photographer to win over uncooperative kiddos. If you think your kids might not be cooperative, you need a full session. For a full session, you can choose the location strategically and give the kids time to warm up to the photographer and give them the breaks they need to play and run around. I find that my kids have more fun if we use a location that allows us to walk along the way. It feels more like we are on a hike with little stops than a shoot. That’s just us though. Maybe your kids would do better with a playground close by to take some “swing and slide breaks.” Mini sessions don’t allow for that. They may cost 1/3 of the price (depending on the photographer) but at what cost? Your sanity probably and the likelihood of actually getting great photos.
Here, I thought I would open up and share a handful of photos from a personal family shoot I did on Thursday to celebrate all of our kid’s recent birthdays followed by the “behind the scenes” photos of candid moments in between the posed shots. Isaac turned 12 in December. Rita was born on March 7th. Andrew turned 14 on March 10th. And, Finn turned 2 on Thursday. So, enjoy the sweet along with the silly.XO - Megan
