Tips for Photo Sessions with Children and Toddlers

My latest adventure with Becci and my three favourite tiny humans! Lifestyle photography captures children in their element. I love these real and unfiltered moments of playing in the mud, gathering wood for the fire and bushwalking. Some parents feel anxiety leading up to their photo session as they want the day to go smoothly and hope their children will behave for photos. Spending some time with Becci and her three kiddies reminded me of what really goes into making great photos.

PREPARE YOUR CHILDREN

Start talking to your children about your photoshoot a few days prior to get them familiar with the idea. Talk about it with excitement but also make it sound normal and fun, you don’t want to overwhelm them with expectations of how you think it will go. Tell them what to expect from your photographer. You can tell your children that your photographer is a friend, so they don’t seem like a stranger.

EXPECTATIONS

If you go into your photoshoot feeling stressed and nervous about how your toddler is going to behave, the chances are they are going to pick up on this tension. They might not want to sit still, look at the camera and smile. My first evening with Becci one of her twin boys didn’t want to come outside for photos and she didn’t force him which I really respected. If you put pressure on them it might make it harder and we knew there would be another opportunity to get photos on the following day (this situation is a little different to my normal 1-hour session as I spent the night with them).

My best piece of advice is to go with the flow and work with your photographer to capture natural moments together, these are often the best photos! You might need to make it fun and let your child play, be convincing that its fun!

LISTEN AND GO WITH THE FLOW

Children will go through different stages and phases. They may only want one parent to hold them and getting them on their own isn’t going to happen without tears. The best way to work with toddlers is to not force them but to comfort them, they might be nervous! Work with what you can. Sometimes bribes can work, or perhaps they just need their favourite toy.

Becci is definitely the most ‘go with the flow’ parent I’ve ever met, this mud puddle was so much fun and she didn’t care about the aftermath or clean up. Totally worth it!

LIFESTYLE FAMILY PHOTO SESSIONS

My family photo sessions are fun, relaxed and easy going. I’ve photographed families with children of different ages and every session will be slightly different. I use all of the tips mentioned above in order to capture the best moments of your family.

Tips to prepare for your in-home lifestyle and newborn photo session

Family sessions at home capture a mix of unfiltered real moments, done in a stylised way. These sessions are a personal favourite of mine if you have a newborn! I’ll be able to capture your family in an authentic way and you’ll feel more comfortable being in your own space.

PREPARING YOUR SPACE

A home is made to be lived in and no one is expecting every room in your house to be clean or tidy, especially if you have kids. There is absolutely no pressure to prepare your entire house for photos but having one or two spaces ready to use before your photographer arrives is key. Often your bedroom, living area, or a children’s bedroom is a great space to use for a lifestyle session. You may want to put away some toys or hide clutter but you definitely won’t need to clear everything out of the space, you still want it to look like your home and not something out of a flashy magazine.

PREPARING YOUR NEWBORN AND TODDLER

Let your children know a photographer is coming to your home for some fun and they will be taking some pictures. Asking your children to sit quiet and still usually doesn’t work and it can make your photographer seem like a scary person coming into their space. Make it fun and playful, prepare some activities that you can all do together. Let your kids run around and your photographer can interact with them, we love building trust with them and making the process enjoyable for everyone. Relax and try not to stress over their behaviour on the day.

For your newborn, do what you need to do. Stick to your feeding routine and don’t be afraid to feed during your session if you need to. You’ll likely plan to have your photos taken at a time when your baby usually sleeps but come the day of your photos their sleeping habits might be out the window. Your photographer will be able to adapt and allow you to settle your newborn if you need extra time.

WHAT TO WEAR

You’re at home so you want to be comfortable but pick outfits that make you feel confident. Coordinate your outfits with each other and with your space, think of using similar tones and complementary colours. I personally love earthy and light tones, whites and creams are particularly great for a newborn session. Avoid busy patterns and text on shirts. At the end of the day, if you want to be in your PJs and your baby wants to run around in their nappy, that’s completely ok too! The goal is to capture authenticity.

Tips for your winter photo session - Whitireia Park Family Photos

Lam and Peter braved the cold and wind for their recent engagement shoot which we also combined with some family photos of Lam and her sisters. We had originally planned to take these photos back in March, followed by their wedding in May but had to postpone everything due to lockdown. I'm so glad I was finally able to take photos for them! Winter is a little unpredictable but the light on this afternoon was worth the wait and being out in the cold.

FIND A SPECIAL LOCATION

Let’s make the most of your photo session by choosing a location that’s going to inspire you (and your photographer) and make you feel good. Turn the session into a memory, somewhere you think you will enjoy the scenery. Light is everything, so talk to your photographer about the best time of day at a particular location.

HAVE WARM OUTFIT OPTIONS

My sessions range from 30 minutes to 1 hour long. Neutral colour pallets tend to work best, or fabrics with some texture but not overly patterned. Flowy dresses look stunning but keep in mind the length if it’s going to be windy at your location. Don’t be afraid to wear white, this looks great during sunset. Bring a warm coat that you don’t mind wearing for some of the photos.

BE FLEXIBLE WHEN RESCHEDULING

I wish we could control what mother nature does on the day of our photo session. If your photos aren’t urgent I always recommend rescheduling to a different day if it’s raining or too windy. There is no extra cost for rescheduling and I do my best to be flexible with back up days. If rescheduling isn’t an option consider having an indoor location for your photos.

Wellington Newborn and Family Photographer - In home portrait session

At-home lifestyle sessions are perfect if you have a newborn. You're probably still figuring out your baby’s routine so being at home will make it that little bit easier for you. These relaxed sessions are intimate and personal. If you're wanting natural and less posed photos, this kind of session might be what you're looking for!

Sarah and Anthony invited me to their home to photograph their newborn Theo. We timed the shoot for what normally would be nap time for Theo but he definitely had other ideas! Being at home made it much easier for Sarah and Anthony to soothe and settle him in a comfortable space. The photos of him awake turned out great and it was a bonus that we were able to get a few sleeping shots of Theo at the end of our session.

Cosy Newborn Session at Home!

Claudia, Steph and their daughter Coco welcomed baby Albert into the world and we celebrated in the best way possible with a newborn and family lifestyle session. This session was cosy, in their element at home and playful.

You may remember our beachfront maternity session a couple of months back, you can check it out here!

I love lifestyle sessions like this because there is a mix of unfiltered real moments but done in a stylised way. Claudia did an amazing job preparing the space for our session.

Outdoor lifestyle maternity shoot - Wellington Eastbourne, New Zealand

Pregnancy is a special time for expecting mothers and their family. If you already have children, this is the perfect time to have a maternity shoot combined with family photos. These photos will be a momento of the ‘time before baby arrived’ and as your children grow you can look back at this time of your life together.

If you have a toddler and you’re worried about how they will find the photoshoot, look for a photographer who has experience working with children. You may only have a short period of time to get key photos and your photographer may need some tricks to get children on their side. A lifestyle session is perfect for capturing real moments and interactions between family, this works well if children aren’t interested in posing or are too young for directions.

Finding a photographer who has a style that speaks to you is important! When Claudia and Steph contacted me about their vision for this shoot they were looking for a lifestyle session near the beach where they live. Claudia put together a Pinterest board of inspiration. I knew straight away that we were a great match and I could bring their vision to life.

I recommend following a few different photographers on social media and over time you will start to see who connects with you best!

Claudia is extremely photogenic! I think I said ‘gorgeous’ about 100 times during our session. I love the way their outfits were styled and the use of adding in a denim jacket for Coco because it was extremely windy/cold and the shawl around Claudia’s shoulders.

Being on location can be really hit and miss if the weather isn’t great. It took 5 days of scheduling and rescheduling to get the weather right for us. We originally planned for a nice, sunny evening with a sunset, but decided to go with an overcast evening last minute which actually worked out really well. The cloudy sky adds a dramatic quality. Finding a photographer who can be flexible around weather definitely helps for an outdoor maternity session.

The Leo Style - 3 Year Blogiversary

I recently photographed the wonderful Larissa to mark the celebration of 3 years since launching her blog The Leo Style! Leo is a lifestyle blogger and YouTuber who shares tips for women and mums with busy lifestyles. 

We walked around Aston Norwood Gardens carrying a pink balloon in the shape of a number 3, the cutest birthday cake made by Sweet Bakery & Cakery and we even had a glass of bubbles to celebrate!