“My Kids Won’t Cooperate for Family Photos!”
(And Other Things You Don’t Need to Worry About)
I can't tell you how many times I've heard this before a family session:
“I'm just worried my kids aren't going to cooperate.”
Usually followed by a warning about the toddler who never sits still, the five-year-old who has decided smiling is no longer part of their skill set, or the teenager who would rather be approximately anywhere else.
Here's the thing.
I don't need your kids to cooperate.
At least not in the way you're probably imagining.
I've been photographing families for nearly 20 years and if my ability to create beautiful photographs depended on children sitting perfectly still, looking directly at me and smiling on command... I would have chosen the wrong career a very long time ago. 😂
Your kids are allowed to be kids.
In fact, I prefer it.
“But My Child Won't Sit Still”
Perfect.
We'll move.
We'll walk, play, snuggle, explore, race, tickle, dance
and probably do something mildly ridiculous to get a real laugh.
Some of my favorite photographs happen when absolutely no one is sitting still.
I don't structure family sessions around children performing for the camera. I structure them around giving your family things to do together so I can photograph what happens.
Will I still try to get that beautiful everyone-looking-at-the-camera photo?
Of course.
Grandma needs something for the Christmas card.
But that's only a tiny part of what we're creating.
“My Toddler Takes a While to Warm Up”
Also completely normal.
Imagine being two years old, getting dressed in clothes your mom is very excited about, driving somewhere unfamiliar, getting out of the car
and immediately having a stranger with a giant camera expect you to smile.
I'd be suspicious too.
This is one of the reasons I don't rush sessions.
Sometimes a child needs a few minutes to watch me. Sometimes they want to stay in Mom's arms. Sometimes we start with the whole family instead of putting them on the spot.
I follow their lead.
Usually, once they realize I'm not going to force them to do anything,
we become friends pretty quickly.
“What if Someone Has a Meltdown?”
They might. (and it MIGHT just be your husband jk)
Toddlers are toddlers.
Even older kids can have an off day.
A meltdown doesn't mean your session is ruined.
We reset. We change what we're doing. We move somewhere else.
We snuggle with Mom. We give them a minute.
What I don't want you to do is immediately panic because your child isn't doing
what you think they're supposed to be doing.
Kids can feel that pressure.
And suddenly we're no longer taking family photos.
We're negotiating a hostage situation over one smile. 😂
You don't need to manage the session.
That's my job.
“Should I Promise Them a Treat if They Smile?”
I'm going to lovingly ask you to put the fruit snacks away.
Bribery sounds like a fantastic plan until your child realizes the promised snack exists and decides they would actually like it right now.
Then we're photographing a child thinking about Goldfish
instead of a child having fun with their family.
And once the snack appears? Good luck making it disappear.
Sticky fingers. Food in teeth. Chewing in photos.
And sometimes tears when we say we're all done.
If you've promised ice cream after the session, I fully support your parenting choices. 😂
During the session, let me do the work. If you choose to bring snacks, don't say I didn't tell you.
“My Husband Hates Pictures”
I hear this one almost as much as the kid thing.
He doesn't need to love pictures.
He just needs to show up.
I am not going to make anyone spend an hour dramatically gazing
into the distance while contemplating life.
We'll keep things moving. I'll tell everyone what to do. Nobody needs to know how to pose, where to put their hands, or what facial expression they're supposed to be making.
And I promise, this is usually far less painful than the family members
who aren't excited about photos expect it to be.
“We're Awkward in Front of the Camera”
So is almost everyone.
Seriously.
The families you see on my website aren't professional models
who arrived knowing exactly what to do.
They're regular families.
They have toddlers who run away, husbands who don't know where to put their hands or don't even want to be there (and yes, they make it known or I can tell lol), kids who make weird faces and moms who are worried about whether everyone's outfits look okay.
You don't need to know how to be photographed.
I need to know how to photograph you.
There's a difference.
“What if My Kids Don't Smile?”
Then we won't spend the entire session demanding that they do.
Of course I want genuine smiles and laughter.
But I also want the quiet photograph of your toddler tucked against your shoulder.
Your daughter holding your hand.
Your son laughing at his dad.
The way your kids pile onto you when everyone sits down together.
The expressions you see every day but don't necessarily think to photograph.
A beautiful family gallery doesn't require every person to be smiling in every image.
Honestly, it shouldn't.
The Biggest Things I Want You to Stop Worrying About
Please don't come to your session feeling like your family's behavior is somehow a reflection of you.
You don't need perfectly behaved children.
You don't need a husband who secretly missed his calling as a model.
You don't need to practice smiling.
And you definitely don't need to spend the drive to your session warning everyone to
BE GOOD FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER.
Come as you are.
I'll guide you when you need guidance. I'll give your kids room when they need room.
I'll keep us moving when something isn't working.
And I'll know when the tiny moment happening
between all the chaos is the one worth photographing.
That's what experience brings to a family session.
Not the ability to make every child behave perfectly.
The ability to create beautiful photographs even when they don't.
And trust me, I've seen a lot.
Your toddler isn't going to scare me. 😉
Ready for family photos without the pressure to have perfectly behaved kids?
Explore my family photography sessions in Downers Grove
and throughout Chicago's western suburbs, and come exactly as you are.
