My families of four always keep me busy…who am I kidding, any of my families with a toddler keep me moving. Claire is 9 months old now – her sister, Amelia is 2.5 years old. Smiling is a game and keeping still…forget it!
That said, I always win…at least one smile that is. The corporate world never provided the challenges I get these days, and I couldn’t be more happy with this sweet job! I mean, who else gets to capture sweet daddy moments?
Or wait patiently while a 2.5 year old races around the family photo…hoping for a moment worth printing. I don’t know if you can tell, but Amelia was running circles in the background while I was working to move her towards the frame. Perfect family photo…depends on how you define perfect, but I think it works!
One of the things I’ve learned about photographing children is that to “pose” children is begging for a frustrated family and photographer. I frequently plan for a photo shoot by perusing Pinterest for ideas. I think it’s nice to have a few poses in mind before meeting with your client. However, if something isn’t working, you just move on. No big deal! The unplanned moments (like this one of Amelia on the left) are way better than anything I could have staged.
Another one of my tricks – 1, 2, 3 click. Set up your shot without the toddler, then ask a parent to lift her into position. Be ready with your camera and snap. I normally get at least one smile and then you can let the toddler run again.
With two young children, I think it’s even easier. While letting Amelia run, I focused on Claire. I mean, it was “her” session. Ya gotta love this age – still relatively easy to pose and still willing to smile. I wish this stage would last so much longer.
Amelia was still running around, so I pulled Mom away for a few Mommy/Daughter moments. I have to admit, I’m a bit jealous of those gorgeous curls.
Then it was back to Claire. I love this sweet baby smile!
See this photo on the right of Amelia. This is actually the last shot of our session. We were literally walking out of the Arboretum when she plops down and looks at me. Luckily, my camera was still out. I took two shots. Is she “smiling?” Not really…but this photo is so sweet. Frame worthy even.
Finally, one of my favorite shots of the session. Again, completely unplanned. Claire was getting a Daddy Piggie Back ride when I turned around to see this sweet face. I had to capture it.
With all of that said, I clearly had a blast shooting the “Y” family. I’m already looking forward to Claire’s birthday in May…and Amelia’s birthday in August. If a February day provides this many smiles, I can only imagine what a beautiful Spring day will have for us!
Until next time,
