out and about doing little miss auburn’s four year photos and it hit me…..she will be FOUR! How the heck is it possible….where did my baby go? even when the invites came in for her party and the had a big stinking number 4 on them it still didn’t seem like it could be real. four is her favorite number so i guess it fits her. four is my favorite number, another of the many things we share. but, still, her being four just seems insane. crazy. too fast. too much. just when i thought NOTHING on earth could be sweeter than a two year old girl, three came in and blew me out of the water. never could have expected she would be even more fun, more sweet, more lovable, but somehow she was. and, i know that four will be just as great, but man, i just need to freeze time a bit longer. a few things i learned this session that could come in very handy for parents having a photo session with a 3, 4, 5 year old…….try this with me for your next session and i can promise you will be even more in love with your images. i tried it out with my little muse, and it worked like a charm. forgive me as i tend to use ideas on my little one to test them out to see if they work, but a photograph has to try things out somewhere, right 
-one outfit. simple and sweet, one outfit. changing clothes throws off the flow of a session for kids, they think “oh, we must be all finished, where is my prize i would say find an outfit you simply adore and we will shoot it like crazy. (uptown kids, you can NEVER go wrong with their colorful outfits and many choices – classen curve, just right north of the studio) now, for little kiddos (babies up to the age of two) they are totally used to changing clothes a jillion times a day from messes and what not, so it is usually not a big deal at all for the little ones, but think about your older kids – usually one outfit per day so three changes in an hour throws them off a bit….
-start telling your child / children days in advance that you will be going on a treasure hunt (and let me know you have prepared them for this and i will be all sorts of prepared for the fun) forget the old, “we are going to take photos and you need to smile and be happy” approach. during the session below we got all these photos in a matter of 25 mins, and it was all based around the “treasure hunt” finding small pennies and dimes all over the ground, looking for lost treasure. it worked and then some! kids love to play, they don’t understand why the heck mom’s want photos or why they have to smile and giggle, but they do understand PLAYING! So, prepare them for play!
-another idea, a cheap prop to add color! i always bring lots of props to a session, but always feel free to spice it up in the coming summer months. bright balloons (10 bucks and you have just popped the colors in your photos plus kids adore them) a bunch of wildflowers for your little girl to hold – a superman cape for your little boy….the list can go on and on…..you can never go wrong bringing fun things with bold color and textures! and, never be afraid of bringing these things to your family session as well.
these are jut a few ideas to make your photo session a bit more fun and relaxed and keep mom and dad off smile patrol for the session. my job is to capture your kids just as they are. and, you make my job so easy with your ADORABLE kiddos! thanks thanks and thanks for sharing them with art and soul! looking forward to some fun in the sun sessions this spring / summer!
Recently from Twitter
No public Twitter messages.