Are you someone who photographs toddlers? Photographing toddlers is one of my favorite things! They have developed their spunky personalities, have funny things to say and can communicate their interests with you during a shoot. From my ten years of experience photographing families and my almost 3 years of experience in motherhood, I have 5 tips to help your future experiences photographing toddlers.

Start with a Questionnaire

When photographing toddlers, or any age child for that matter, I have learned in my 10 years of experience, that you can save a lot of time by learning about your client before you step foot in their home. For years, I was showing up to homes of clients I had not met before, and their children did not know me either. As you can imagine, some children with stranger danger did not feel instantly comfortable in front of the camera, thus taking up some of our shooting time.

This is why I believe it is so helpful to send out a questionnaire before your session. Ask about the child’s personality and interests. This way, you’re going into the shoot already knowing that “Timmy” loves “Bluey” and the song “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” for instance. Beginning your session with a questionnaire (link), can really help you feel more at ease when photographing a toddler.

Avoid Sensory Overload

From my own experience in both motherhood and general observations throughout my days, sensory overload can overwhelm children and bring about many emotions. Depending on how long your sessions last, I don’t know that you’ll have time for a tantrum that stems from sensory overload.

Bringing it back to the questionnaire, I’d ask if my client’s child has a favorite song. As they get more comfortable, you can add on with one more sensory element to maintain an even temperament.

Give Them Something to Hold

As your client gets more comfortable in front of the camera with minimal sensory overload and feeling known by you because of your questionnaire, give them something to hold! For an indoor portrait, this can be a book, a truck, or any small toy that grabs their attention. I would stay away from anything that has lights to make post processing a friendlier experience.

I like to use toys to grab “the eyelash shot,” where your client is looking down and you get that super serene, peaceful, angelic look.

Play a Game

I like having mom and dad involved with heirlooms because they best know how to get chuckles out of their child! I’ll have them hold a toy over my camera on the side where my strobe is located. My goal is to have a catch light appear in my subject’s eyes, so this helps me a ton!

Furthermore, I like to ask the toddlers I photograph if they can tell me what numbers they see on the LCD screen of my strobe light. I’ll purposely change the numbers to engage with them and hold their attention.

When All Else Fails

If you feel comfortable with your photoshop skills, a fun thing to do, especially for heirlooms, would be placing your subject on a bouncy animal! For the example below, mom was sitting right next to her daughter, and her daughter was LOVING it. It made her smile at me more than anything else. I was so thankful we realized that this would be the ticket to the winning shot!

Peachtree Corners Heirloom Photographer

If you live in the Peachtree Corners area and are considering heirlooms for your children, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions! I’d love to share more details with you.