Here are some tips to help you with your next photoshoot with kids between the age of 2 and 5 years old

Tip 1:

Do your best to get your kids to eat before your photoshoot. We don’t want your kids to get hangry 🙂

Tip 2:

Select a location that will allow your kids to have space so they can move around and have fun. Kids are going to be happier if they’re able to have fun during their photoshoot. Sometimes certain locations do not allow kids to let loose for safety reasons because of rocks or waves, so it is important to take that into consideration when selecting your location.

Tip 3:

Consider the time difference between your hometown and where you are visiting. If you’re traveling to Hawaii, most families that live on the mainland will have kids that wake up super early in the morning (Hawaii time), so a sunrise photoshoot might be the best time for your photoshoot. If you have older kids, sunset is totally doable.

Tip 4:

Have a fun and cute little prop on hand that will capture kids attention & put a smile on their face! I love having a small/medium sized shell on hand for kids around 2-5 years old to hold. Kids under 2 will usually just try to eat it, so use something that is not small enough for them to put in their mouth and swallow (<2 tips to be continued in another blog post).

Tip 5:

Don’t give up! If they are not interested in the photos, try to distract them with fun prompts (piggy back rides, etc.), or if they are really unhappy, figure out what your child needs and try to fulfill that need so that they can relax and enjoy themselves. Maybe they need to be hugged and rocked because they are being too stimulated with people trying to get them to smile, or maybe they need a little snack. Maybe they just want to go straight into the ocean- surprisingly this is not uncommon! Whatever it is, you will capture better photos of your kids by going with the flow vs. trying to force a photo of everyone smiling and looking. Extra tip: family portraits with everyone looking, or whichever photos you want with your kids smiling at the camera are usually best at the beginning of the photoshoot when they are happy and the photoshoot is new and exciting.