Photographing kids who won’t sit still

Most family sessions start the same way. A parent crouches next to a small child and says, quietly and with rising panic, “look at the camera.” The child looks anywhere else. Everyone tenses. That is the moment I put the camera down.

Let them lead

A four-year-old has one job on a photo shoot, and it is to have a good time. If she wants to be upside down, we photograph her upside down. If he wants to show me every stick in the park, I want to see every stick. The frames you keep are the ones where they forgot I was there.

I keep a long lens on for the first half hour, stay low, and talk to the kids more than the parents. By the time we get to the “one nice one for the grandparents,” they are usually happy to give it to me.

Short sessions, long light

Two hours is plenty. We book the last ninety minutes before sunset, bring snacks, and plan for one break. Tired children are not a problem to solve; they are usually the best part of the gallery.

The frames you keep are the ones where they forgot the camera was there.

If you are worried your child will not cooperate, good. Neither will mine. Book the session anyway.