3 Things to Avoid at a Kids Photo Session
There are several things you can avoid when you’re creating a memorable family photo session and capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments with children.
We’ve talked about getting kids to smile for pictures, top 10 kid poses you want to aim for and more in the first part of this series. See the bottom of this post for more about this series!
You may not be able to chase that golden hour light.
Photographers love sunrises and sunsets and the beautiful warm rays on sunshine on their subjects during those times. However, with babies and kids involved, 6a.m. and 8 p.m. may just not be realistic times to capture them at their best. Knowing the best times of day for each child you’re photographing is key – avoid when they may be tired, hungry or even too revved up. Find a happy medium time and everyone should win!
Avoid dangerous places and uncomfortable situations.
Just like we love golden light, we also love the beauty off the beaten path – rocky trails of texture and beautifully-colored flowers and the edge of a mountain path with a glimmerglass lake below. However, let’s take those off your radar. Flat terrain and few dangers are key when working with little ones. I usually try to find a location close to a parking lot (but not too close!) with a lot of options right there. This way, the kids (and parents) aren’t walking too far from their car and we don’t have to travel far to have greenery and textures and trees and all sorts of beautiful elements in the background. I also try to avoid water. State Parks are my favorite!
Don’t let distractions win!
One of my favorite state parks has an awesome playground really close to one of the best locations (an open field with tall, green trees on all four sides and a nearby walking trail with pretty smooth terrain). This is NOT a good thing, though. As soon as a kiddo spots those slides and swings, I’ve pretty much lost. It’s going to be very difficult to keep their focus on the stranger with a camera rather than all the fun on the other side of the field. So, I either let the parents know ahead of time or I make it a small bribe system right off the bat (with the parents’ permission) – “If you give me your best smiles until we’re all done, we can go play over there at the end.” Other distractions? A really, really busy location, lots of traffic, a nearby soccer game, and many many more things. Scope out your location with the eyes of a seven-year-old before you make plans.
Have you seen the first part of this series?
Photographing Kids Part 1: How to get Fun Facial Expressions
Photographing Kids Part 2: Top 10 MUST HAVE poses for Kids
Photographing Kids Part 3: 4 Tips for Parents before a Kids Photo Shoot
Photographing Kids Part 4: 5 Tips to Get Kids to Smile for Pictures
Blog post pictures by: Erin Rachel Photography and Wendy Zook
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