The Art of Candid Child Photography

Worried your child won't sit, stare at the stranger and smile? You're probably right but that's ok, here's why. We have been doing this for 14 years in addition to our own life experience. We have 9 kids between the two of us, Caitie homeschools and Amy has taught special education and preschool in addition to being trained in behavior therapy. We understand toddlers do not smile on command. 
Let me put your mind at ease. 

First I want you to know we would never try to force a pose on any child, or adult. 
We all know kids thrive on routine. When they feel safe in their surroundings they are free to learn and experiment new things. When little ones first arrive on a beach it can be intimidating, a completely new environment with new smells, sounds, and textures. We have another blog about preparing your toddler for a session that you may want to check out. For now we will focus on how we handle the session itself. 

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​This little guy was way more intrigued by his exciting new surroundings and just wanted to play in the sand.

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Children pick up on parents emotions so it is important for you to remain relaxed and happy about this fun outing! Get all your stress out earlier in the day, if you have any concerns, questions or think of anything we should know don't hesitate to give us a call. We want to help you put your mind at ease and come in feeling comfortable and relaxed.

We typically begin the session with the whole family in a posed situation. It gives the children time to take in the environment while in the safety of their family, to understand why we're here, and lets the children know we are not here to invade their security bubble, we won't make them do anything they don't want to. They see your interactions with us and know that we are friends and that they can trust me when it is time for their single shot. If they are still not comfortable you can stand nearby and I will edit you out. 

We aim for natural smiles, they see you smiling and imitate you, you can try singing their favorite song, telling a silly inside joke, bouncing the baby on your hip, whatever you know they usually like to do. ​

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In this shot the baby had fallen asleep and little man was over it. Dad played with him and cheered him up and mommy held the sweet little one and it worked! We are able to get the seated shot they were looking for. 

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All we really need is one smile for one second, I can move the smile from that image to another where everyone was ready. It is very rare, I can actually remember just three sessions in 15 years that we were unable to get a smile and that's ok, we just get some sweet family time shots. 

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This was towards the end of the session and daddy really wanted one with his daughter, who was completely over it. So we created a daddy/daughter moment where she was comfortable and didn't have to be in the 'spotlight' anymore.

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Let me know below what tricks you have used to get some smiles from your little one! We love adding new tips and tricks to our toolbox! ​

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“A photograph keeps a moment from running away” – Eudora Welty