Making the Most of Your Child's Portrait Session

Today I thought I'd throw out a few tips about getting the most out of your children's session. While finding a good photographer who works well with children is important, you also contribute a lot towards the success of the session. Let's be honest - a session with a good photographer is an investment, and you want to get the most for your money. Here are a few ways you can help.

· Don’t schedule a session when you’ll be in a hurry. A good session with a child can take a good bit of time, so don’t plan a session when you’re in a rush. Also, don’t plan your session at a time of day when you know your child will be sleepy or grumpy. If your child takes naps, don’t plan your session during nap time!



· Keep clothing choices simple. Don’t dress your child in clothing that is ‘busy’ with designs, pictures, patterns, or words. These things distract from the subject of the photograph, which is your child (not his or her clothing). Especially avoid clothing made out of shiny or glittery material. These materials will bounce light back to the camera much more strongly than your child’s skin, and become a distraction in the photograph. Solid, simple colors are your best choice.

· Don’t date the photograph with clothing or props. Instead of the trendiest new fashion, choose timeless, simple clothing that won’t look out-of-date in a year or two. Also, photographing children with their toys is a great idea, but choose classic toys like stuffed animals or wooden toys rather than the newest gadgets.



· Stay calm! Your child cues off your stress level. If you get upset or stressed out, your child will get upset and stressed out too. Have a smile on your face, and try to stay relatively low key.

· Don’t try to make your child to smile, sit up straight, or look at the camera unless the photographer asks you to. Children have a difficult time posing for more than a few seconds at a time, so if you have your child ready before the photographer is, you’re sure to miss a great expression. Stay close, but allow the child to relax until it’s time to click the shutter.



· Remember that many of the best photographs of children don’t involve them looking directly into the camera and smiling. Sure, we all want some of those photographs, but many of a child’s most precious moments are when they are completely absorbed in thought or play. A good photographer will try to capture these moments, but they are ruined if you are telling your child to “Smile! Look at the camera!” every few seconds.

These are certainly not the only things you can do to get the most out of a children's portrait session, but they're some of the most important.

Until next time,

Terrell