3 things I don’t recommend doing before a family photoshoot
Getting the family ready for photos can be a little daunting.
I speak to a lot of families who are worried that their kids won’t be excited to participate.
After years of photographing families and meeting kid’s with all types of personalities- I have some thoughts.
Don’t put too much pressure on it
It’s a great idea to have a running conversation with your kids leading up to the session. Let them know what to expect and allow them to ask questions and include them in the planning where possible. This will look different depending on their age/s
Where I see parents sometimes going wrong is they put too much emphasis on how they expect the kids to behave rather than how much fun they get to have.
For the record – I have zero expectations for your kids to behave in any particular way during the session. My family photoshoots are always centred around play and connection.
I’ll never order them to look at the camera, smile on cue or sit still. Instead, I will suggest games and activities to draw out their personality. The last thing I want is for them to be bored, because then your photos will be boring. My clients often tell me that their kids keep asking when we get to hang out again.
I know that you might feel pressure to get everything perfectly prepared so that you don’t waste your investment – I can promise that if you relax and let yourself enjoy the experience your photos will be all the better for it.
Don’t tire them out
Sometimes parents feel like they need their kids to “get all their energy out” prior to the session. Or they book in their session forgetting that they already have swimming lessons, soccer practice and a birthday party earlier that day.
No one is the best version of themselves when they are tired – especially little ones. So if you are thinking that they will be more chilled out if they are exhausted, I wouldn’t recommend it. Besides, if there is lots of energy needing to used up we can spend the session having running races, climbing trees and playing together.
I always recommend making the day of your session pretty chilled out and allow plenty of time to get ready. That was you can hopefully turn up relaxed, refreshed and ready to have some fun.
Don’t use food bribes
I know some of you might disagree with this one. Or feel like I’m calling you out and that is not at all my intention – this is a mum-shame free zone. In the past I have resorted to bribing my kids with a treat for the sake of family photos, but there are a few reasons why I no longer recommend it.
The research is pretty clear that using food as a reward is directly linked with unhealthy relationships with food later in life.
If you promise any sort of reward in exchange for good behaviour, it often leads to threatening to take it away and makes the whole session feel like something they are being forced to participate in against their will.
Besides, if I suggest something for your photos and your little one isn’t feeling it, that’s completely fine. I will work with you to find some poses that everyone is happy with. And if the whole experience is a little overwhelming and they need a little break – that’s fine too.
By the way, I’m not saying you shouldn’t have a post-photoshoot family treat. We usually get Hungry Jacks on the way home from our own photos. It’s a fun tradition for us, we just try to avoid using it as a bargaining chip when the kids aren’t as keen on the photoshoot.
I hope you found these tips helpful! If so, please feel free to leave a comment below.
If you are worried about how your kids will handle your photoshoot please get in touch. I have so many tricks up my sleeve for how to work with extra shy kids, full of jelly beans or anywhere in between.
