We can't claim to have superpowers or all the answers. We also can't claim that our kids are always perfect in front of the camera. What we do offer, though, are 3 tips on helping you get the best smiling pictures of your kid out of your next family photography session.
1. Practice. Practice. Practice.
Having your photograph taken is a bit like a performance. You're expected to show outwardly an inward feeling, usually one of happiness, denoted by a smile. Not only that, but we desire our kids to be good actors, hoping that they'll give us "genuine" smiles instead of those artificial ones they all seem to develop between the ages of 4-...(well let's face it, some of us never quite outgrow it).
Now, do you remember sitting through that adorable yet somewhat painful school play where your child's class was expected to act, sing, or perform in some way? Do you remember how much practice went into that event both at home and in the classroom? And even at the end of all that hard work and practice it was still a little bit of a toss-up as to whether or not they'd "get it right". Well, just imagine for a moment what it would have been like if they had been asked to show up and perform without any of that preparatory work!
Unless you're a professional photographer and are putting a camera in your child's face fairly often (no judgement here...that's kinda how we are) then you can't really expect your child to just "get-it-right" when it's time for your family photo session. That's why our number 1 and most important tip is to practice. You can turn it into a game or a song or whatever you think will work for your family, just make sure that it includes some element of holding still for a second or two while smiling.
2. Don't watch the clock
Tip number 2 is to forget about the clock. Kids have moods just like us 'adults' and they can go up and down pretty quickly. Sometimes, though, it can take a while to turn a sour or sleepy mood into a genuinely happy one. We realize the appeal of a 15-30 minute mini-session when you've got young children that need to have dinner and get to bed and the photographer only wants to book during golden hour (right around sunset) but these kinds of sessions should be left to families with children that are old enough and practiced enough to make it happen in that short amount of time.
In our experience photographing lots of families with very young children, we've noticed that it might take that 15 minutes or more for some children to warm up to the photographer. After they have, though, some of the shyest, most reserved children can give some of the biggest and most bubbly smiles and laughs we've ever seen but you're very unlikely to uncover them in a photo mini-session.
3. Distraction
The last tip might sound a bit too obvious. The old classic "Watch the birdie!" where something or someone stands behind the camera and tries to make the child look and smile. We probably shouldn't relate how many otherwise serious fathers and mothers we've seen pulling faces, jumping, dancing, and saying the most ridiculous things. Even less should we own up to all the things we've said and done while trying to get our kids to look and smile at the camera! Of course, we can't deny the occasional effectiveness of these antics but when we say our third tip is distraction, we're actually referring to something rather different.
One of the very best ways we've found of distracting kids to have an authentically happy time (and show it on their face) is to let them! A kid that is playing or doing something they enjoy, whether in the home, on the playground, in the backyard or somewhere else usually makes for a fantastic subject and some of our favorite photos. In fact, this is one of the reasons we love to offer Lifestyle Photography so much.
Even if their kids aren't wearing the perfect outfit and sitting in the location they dreamed about, we think most parents would prefer photos of their kids truly happy and having a great time over photos of their kids looking grumpy, bored, or with the dreaded (but often cute) fake-smile. Lifestyle photography can be about everyday routines or unique experiences but either way they are a great way to get smiling photos of your kids. If you need some inspiration, check out our 25 ideas for your family lifestyle photography session.
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