{If you are interested in 'what to wear', I do have a pinterest account that covers this : here.}
Before I begin, I just want to say that I know plenty of photographers in this line of work who consistently say the same thing when asked 'What's your least favorite session?' Almost always, photographers respond with : "TODDLERS!" If you're curious what my least favorite is... honestly... I don't know that I have one, I actually happen to absolutely LOVE photographing toddlers. In fact toddlers come in second on my top three favorites. {Weddings, Toddlers, + Seniors - that's where it's at for me.} That being said, I do understand the frustration with this group... toddlers are definitely living on their terms and there's really no telling them otherwise. If you can't cater to their philosophies.. you're doomed!
So this blog post is specifically geared towards parents with small children. Sometimes portraits are dreaded by parents because they know that 'junior' NEVER wants to sit still during pictures. Well, I'm here to shed some light on this and hopefully make the portrait process for you and your family a bit more enjoyable the next time you step in front of a camera. Hope you like!
#1. Have Fun!
I think it's absolutely beneficial to make portraits a fun experience as opposed to a task or an opportunity to get upset when things don't go your way. The most important thing to remember, especially if you have little ones in your photos is that you can plan all you want and that will never guarantee a perfect portrait experience. But, what you CAN do {and what I encourage} is just roll with the punches. Don't treat the session as a mandatory event, make it really exciting for the child. All day talk about how much fun you'll be having at pictures that day... and more importantly how totally awesome your photographer is. ::wink wink::
Joking aside, this is absolutely proven to work with toddlers... the more you put anticipation on a relatively simple task, the more excited that they'll be. If you have toddlers of your own, like I do, you know that this is a guaranteed PROVEN technique that should really help with the process.
#2. Don't force anyone to do anything they don't want to do!
That being said, things don't always go as we plan. We can hype up the session all day and then when the time comes, the child may be completely uninterested. First of all, you are not alone and this is actually completely normal in this age group! Sometimes the little guys and gals just aren't that in to it. Maybe they don't want to sit down and take a picture. This is especially true between the ages of 2 + 5, but also prominent in children who require extra guidance. What I like to do is shift the attention from making them sit still, which could result in a full-on toddler meltdown... to allowing the child to roam free or perhaps picking the child up and putting them on your shoulders, swinging them between mom and dad, etc. You may think their mischievous disinterest in sitting still is frustrating - but the important thing to remember is that when the little one thinks it's cute they're not cooperating, they're also providing the one thing you're looking for as a parent : SMILES + even more awesome : not forced smiles, which we ALL know are vastly different then their natural smiles!
9 times out of 10, the parent's favorite portraits from a session with an uncooperative toddler are the natural moments when the child was laughing and running away from their frustrated family who just wants them to 'Please sit still for one portrait? Please? I'll buy you ice cream!"
#3. Botch the Bribery During the Session!
This leads me to bribery. I think I'll make a sign to stick up at family portraits "Please do not feed wild children!" One thing you don't want to do, is bribe the child with food ON the session. One, they're not going to be satisfied with one bite of a snack... so they'll be spending a good majority of the time trying to retrieve the snack they were momentarily given and then had taken away. Plus they'll have a really hard time smiling with food in their mouth... and when they do smile with food in their mouth, guess who does NOT want to edit that out? ;) Not only is this confusing for a young child, because truly - although we'd like them to understand what's going on - they don't, it's also a guarantee to actually make the process of taking portraits a thousand times more difficult. -Insert Sad Face Here-
That being said, foods that ARE cute for toddlers are : watermelon, lollipops, etc. I'm perfectly okay with having an 'end of the session' snack as a reward for participating. The end of the session should really be where this kind of reward is targeted. Toddlers are messy. We already know if you give your child a red sucker in the middle of the session they will have : red fingers, red drool, red teeth, red lips, red stains on their brand new outfits, sticky fingers, things sticking to their sticky fingers... and the possibility of being able to pry said sucker from their hands : non-existent.
#4. Bring Their Favorite Things!
If you have a toddler anything like mine, there are two things that bring comfort in any environment : her teddy bear + her blanket. Both of which look like they were MY childhood toys because of the absolute overuse they receive... but none the less, were I in a bind and needed to calm my toddler down... she'd be having portraits with the dingy teddy bear and blanket. :\ Toddlers are incredibly particular little creatures, sometimes their favorite toy brings them absolute joy and the perfect opportunity for us to perhaps get them to calm down, sit still, or encourage some natural smiles/faces, etc. I definitely think these should always be on stand by if you have a child who finds comfort in these types of items! Plus, one day you'll appreciate the photograph with that dingy teddy bear and you can tell your teenage son or daughter someday ''This thing went with you everywhere..... even to family portraits!" Memories can be preserved in all sorts of ways... in fact, I think I'm going to do a session with my own toddler and her favorite items now! ;)
#5. Look at the Camera!!
Last, but certainly not least. If you just so happen to get your toddler to sit down - let the photographer try to get their attention. All the time I see "outtakes" of portraits with a happy smiling toddler and parents doing this : looking at the child and pointing to the camera. If everyone in the photograph looks at the camera and smiles, we may be able to get a portrait a lot sooner if the only person trying to gain the little one's attention is the one who has the camera in her hands. Really important aspect of the session + much quicker results!
These are the primary things that I think REALLY help with a session involving toddlers. I hope this helps and I hope to see you AND your toddlers in the future!
Thanks so much!
Crystal Broussard
www.crystalbroussardphotography.com
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