5 Ways to Get Your Kids to Cooperate During a Photoshoot

 

Disclaimer: This post was written in collaboration with Steve Attard Photography, a local Vancouver based photographer. As usual, I only put my name behind brands I trust.

 

Family photos are rarely ever easy.

Since having kids, we’ve been getting family photos done yearly. For some of those times we hired a professional photographer and other times was just the matter of getting the good ol’ tripod set up. But we’ve had them them all, from:

• meltdowns
• the kid who walks away constantly
• does the opposite of what you want
• or over exaggerates
• refusal of the outfit you so carefully picked out for them weeks ago

But I have learned a few things about getting the kids to cooperate. I have rounded up 5 ways to get your kids as photo ready as possible.

 

Get there early

Being punctual is respectful to the photographer and also prevents you from getting all frazzled right before you take photos. Arrive early and allow the kiddos to explore and get familiar with the environment. That way they won’t be distracted and are ready to give you their cheekiest smiles when the photographer arrives. This is also an opportunity to get that extra energy out before ‘showtime’ – see next one.

Get energy out

Take them out to the park, let them run! You don’t want to tire them out that they become cranky; you just want to get the excess out. For this particular shoot, we brought the girls’ bikes along, which turned out to be a great addition in the photos.

Arrive well rested

Get your sleep. You heard it here first. Feeling well rested will allow you shine in your photos! You will feel calmer as well. And when you’re calm, the little ones feed off those zen vibes. Get the little ones down for their nap and push it up if you need to. Do not skip the nap whatever you do.

 

Allow their personalities to shine

It is common to have your kids pose or smile a certain way for the photos but more often than not, those photos aren’t the most memorable ones. Instead, allow your kids to show their personalities. Have your photographer to capture them in their natural element. Twenty years from now, you’ll look back at these photos and know exactly what your kids’ personalities were like. Let your photographer know about their personalities prior to the photoshoot so that he/she can work with them. They encounter so many different kids so they are bound to have some tricks up their sleeve. Which brings me to the next point….

When all else fails….bribery works!

Anything goes! My go-to are gummies (because chocolate melts). But choose the clear or yellow because, from experience, gummies that are red, blue, purple leave stains on the mouth and tongue so unless you want that captured in photos, I would stay away from them.

Hope you found these tips helpful. If you have a good hack, share it in the comments below!