What if my toddler won’t sit still? | St. Louis Family Photographer
As a St. Louis family photographer there are a few statements that I seem to get over and over again when prepping parents for their sunset family session. A few are:
- My toddler won’t sit still for a photography session.
- My toddler acts crazy. He never stops moving and won’t smile for the camera.
- My toddler is so shy and is hard to warm up.
As mamas of three little kids, I get it! You are stressed about how the session will go and if your kids will listen to anything we say. Plus, if you have never worked with me you might be wondering what to expect. First, I promise I don’t care if your toddler is crazy and wants to spend our time digging for rocks or running around the field. Heck I even expect and encourage it when I am shooting toddlers, especially families with more than one toddler. Families that book with me want to capture those candid, heartfelt moments. The main way you get those is images that genuine interaction between your family. For some families this may mean snuggling up on blanket playing a game. For others this means playing red light green light in a flower field. No matter what, our goal is always to keep your toddler happy. A happy toddler equals very happy parents, which equals an amazing and memorable family session.
Wanna know my biggest secret for getting the photos I do when working with toddlers? I let toddlers lead the session….or at least think they are leading the session. If they want to run, we run. If they want to cuddle, we cuddle. I also highly recommend not threatening or offering bribes as it can sometimes spoil a session or make your child only focus on the bribe. If you’re after authentic connection, that is not the best way to get it, in my opinion. What I have found to work best during my family sessions is to keep it fun and light! This simply means engaging with your children and I will take care of the rest. I truly want you to leave a session with me shocked at how much fun you had and for your kids to leave with a smile on their face.
Ready to try out what a laid back, fun lifestyle family photography session looks like? Let’s chat!
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