When parents contact me about booking a session, they often are worried about getting their child to sit still for pictures. It is not realistic to expect toddler aged children to sit still for an hour for photos. In fact, most adults wouldn’t even want to do this. Instead, it is important to give children the ability to move freely, explore and interact during a photo session. This freedom will help to facilitate natural and authentic moments and expressions in images. It is for this reason, that I feel so strongly about scheduling outdoor portrait sessions instead of in the studio. Quite simply, children tend to feel more relaxed outdoors because being outdoors gives an immediate feeling of freedom. It eliminates all of the pressure fo feeling like the child as to perform for the camera.

I say this in peace and love, but if you want images of your child sitting like a frozen mannequin, I am probably not the person to hire. If you want images that capture the essence of childhood in a relaxed and chill way, then I am your girl. I am not saying that I will not take photos of your child looking at the camera and smiling; I get plenty of those images, but my goal for the session is to capture interaction, connection and personality.

One way I can capture personality is by photographing in a location that will allow the kids to be kids. They can throw rocks in the water, search for sticks, get sandy and dirty…this is all a part of childhood and I love capturing those moments. It also means that I may ask them to race each other or me, have a tickle fight with a sibling, make fart noises…whatever it is that they love to do. If there is a young child who really doesn’t want a part of the photo session, don’t stress…we have a full hour to get that child to feel comfortable and allowing the child to explore on his/her terms is one way to do so. This is another reason why a full session is better than a mini session. Often children take more than 15 minutes to warm up, so the full hour session is perfect for that type of child, especially if you want authentic imagery.

This recent family was a pleasure to photograph. The children range in age from 2 to 9 and they are all a year apart, with the exception of the baby. Now you might be thinking that this session was chaotic and I am here to tell you that it was, in fact, one of the most relaxed family sessions I have ever had. Yes, there are four children with different needs and interests, but this group of siblings was so connected to one another that they naturally interacted with one another in the sweetest way. The older three doted on their baby sister and were so gentle and nurturing to her. It was so sweet to watch. The boys were equally attentive to their sisters as they were to each other and vice versa.

I started the session with the super posed portrait images. I always like to get those out of the way first when the kids are most attentive. Then, the rest of the session is all about capturing the family interacting with one another. I just love the images of the children balancing on the log in the water, throwing rocks, running through the sand and playing with their baby sister. Those are the images that capture the essence of childhood and the ones that these kids will treasure when they are adults.

I also want to take a moment to discuss how important wardrobe is for a session. What you wear will impact the overall aesthetic and mood of your images. I can help you through the entire planning process. I have a client closet with dresses for mom’s to borrow, I subscribe to Style & Select, which will curate a wardrobe for you and I can even hand pick outfits for your entire family. This client utilized my services and I just love the color palette and wardrobe for this session.

Here are a few of my favorite moments from the session.