Tricky Toddlers + Preparing for your session | Client Resources |Tiffany Edwards, Photographer

I'm a mom. I know how it goes (photo of my own child being ultra-cooperative for reference). We've all been there! If you "know" your child is going to be difficult, either based on their own cute but grumpy personality or the mood they are in leading up to your session- Don't fret.

The biggest piece of advice I can give is to relax and let me do my thing, so to speak. I have been accused of being "some sort of wizard" for achieving beautiful shots of kiddos when their parents have felt so sure that their child "ruined" the photos with their behavior. The key is getting out there and rolling with it by catching candid moments of the children with the family and documenting their explorations in between poses. Including children in the process of where we shoot and in some circumstances, turning the photo session into a game of some sort can make the experience a lot more fun and yield better results than trying to force a kiddo to do something they, quite frankly, aren't interested in doing. It's supposed to be a good time for everyone!

You can also help by saving rewards or bribes for in-the-moment. A lot of families will go out for icecream or enjoy some other reward following the shoot. Telling kids beforehand will, more often than not, have them wanting to hurry through the session to get to that sweet treat at the end. Saving the big guns for while we're out on location allows for renewed motivation and extra incentive right then and there when we may end up needing it!

It's also worth mentioning that its not worth it to get upset with your child, unless of course they are being seriously outrageous- but I've never had to scrap a session or anything as of yet, and if I'm being honest- not all the kiddos I've worked with have been a walk in the park. A scolded, tear-y eyed child is much harder to work with than one who just wants to explore or might make a silly face here and there- as long as I get one nice smile from them, a headswap in photoshop can be done to perfect an image in a bind as well. So, take a deep breath. Let go of any unrealistic expectations you might have for your child or the session, let their personality shine and allow me to work my magic.

so much better, right??

Tiffany Edwards