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.

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.

Wellington Waterfront Family Photos - A Special Occasion in NZ

What’s something you’re looking forward to the most this Christmas? I’m excited to see our families. Lucky for us Karl’s parents live 1.5 hours away so we get to see both sides of the family.

Here’s a couple of moments from my recent family session with Craig and his family while they were on holiday in NZ. I love how NZ was the destination for them to get together right before Xmas and celebrate their Thanksgiving.

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.

What is a lifestyle photography and why is it a good idea to do newborn photos at home?

Have you noticed that I rave about doing your family and newborn photos at home! This style is called lifestyle photography. It’s an easy-going and more candid approach, different from traditional newborn photos taken in a photographic studio. These sessions capture a mix of unfiltered real moments while positioned and captured in a stylised way.

Why have photos taken at home

The images feel more relaxed and they look authentic being in the comfort of your own space. You’ll be able to look back at your photos in the years to come and your children will be able to see the home they grew up in. As a huge bonus to new parents, it also means I travel to you rather than traveling to a location or studio.

Preparing your home for photos

The goal is to capture authentic moments of your family in an everyday life setting. 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 younger kiddies! There is absolutely no pressure to prepare your entire house for photos but having one or two spaces ready to use is helpful, even if that means moving any clutter to the other side of the room. You get to pick your favourite spots in your home, it could be the nursery chair, so you get to keep some of those memories from when baby was little.

Unposed and natural photography

You’ll be wrapped up in looking at baby and each other, you’ll feel more comfortable with me being there. I don’t have any big lights or equipment so it feels like less pressure to pose for the camera. This style of photography is more about interacting with each other than smiling at the camera for every photo.

What to wear for newborn photos

You’re at home so you want to be comfortable and pick outfits that make you feel good. You can wrap your baby in a swaddle or have in them a one-piece so their feet and hands are free, or do both. My style isn’t to pose newborns in any unnatural sleeping positions.

The day of your newborn shoot

It’s ok if your newborn isn’t settled when I arrive. These sessions are usually 1 hour long which is always plenty of time to feed, nappy change etc in between shots. The best thing about these sessions is we can book them all year round with no restraints on outdoor weather forecasts!