5 Tips for making your Child's Portrait Session Amazing and Fun | Long Island Family & Children Photographer | Lightful Photography

I was recently asked to share some tips on making your child's portrait session a great one for a blog, so I figured I would share it here as well. Do you have any suggestions or experiences from your session that you'd like to share? I'd love to hear your comments!

5 Tips for Making your Child’s Portrait Session Amazing and Fun

• 1. Speak with your photographer before your session. The pre-session consultation is so important to make sure you and your photographer are on the same page. Discuss expectations, especially how your child likes to interact, any shots that you want in particular and the feel you desire for your session and any props that you would like. This will ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible the day of.
• 2. Work around your child’s schedule. As photographers, we all would like to have our sessions very early in the morning or at dusk when the lighting is best (if the session is held outdoors) but with young children, this isn’t possible a lot of times. Schedule your session when your child has had their nap for the day, been fed and happiest. The location should be determined based on the time of day you need your session to take place that will determine the best lighting situation for that time.
• 3. Bring a few items of clothing, accessories or personal items. Having a change of clothes, and even a cute hat or accessory can really change up your photos. Also bring anything of significance to you if you would like it to be photographed. This will make your session much more personal.
• 4. Be open to suggestions. As professionals, we know what works best and sometimes we might feel a particular prop, item of clothing or location may not work. I try very hard to tailor each session to my client’s wants and needs, but if I feel that something might work better, I may offer an alternative. Also, take into consideration if you the type of photos you want. If you want only formal, posed shots, be open to some candid photos that really show your child’s personality and how you interact as a family. In turn, if you’re asking for just candid photos, let’s take a few minutes out to get some formal photos out of the way, you’ll be glad that you did and that you have several options to choose from.
• 5. Have fun. Really. The purpose of our photo sessions is to relax and enjoy, so that we as photographers can capture the natural expressions that represent your child in this particular time. Things will happen that are beyond our control, children can be spontaneous and those usually end up being the most compelling of photos. When you look back on your pictures, I want you to remember exactly how your child was and your family dynamic at that moment in time, and I can guarantee that they will be treasured for years to come.