6 Ways to Prep your Child for a Shoot

Kids can be fussy. That's just the way they work, so be ahead of the curve and arm yourself with tips and tricks on how to prepare your little one for an hour in the spotlight.

1. Bribe them

Oh yeah, you heard me. Nothing works better than some good old fashion bribing. My parents used to bribe me into going to church every Sunday with a nice big donut of my choice afterwards and ya know what? It worked. So whether you opt to give them a donut or some other type of extra little treat when you get home. And sometimes I like to bring a little something something to grease the wheels during the shoot too.

2. Make sure they’re comfy

This goes for adults too, but if the subject isn’t comfortable in their clothes, they’re going to look and feel absolutely miserable in their photos, and I am an ‘authentic smiles only’ type of gal. We want them to spend our shoot together all smiles and make it giggle central, not thrashing around and trying to rip off pieces of their clothing.

3. Let them know what we’re doing

One of my nightmares follows along the narrative of when my mom drove me to the doctor’s as a child to get a shot. She told me we were getting ice cream (which we admittedly did afterwards), but I will never forget about how angry and betrayed little 6 year old Megan felt when she realized she’d been duped into doing something she didn’t want to do. Let your smaller humans know what’s about to go down, and make sure they know how much fun we’re going to have together!

4. Give them lots of praise

Now is not the time to decide that they’ve been bratty lately and punish them. Lay on the praise thick and they’re more likely to have a positive attitude and therefore a positive experience and cooperate for photo time than anything else.

5. Bring a toy or two

When it comes time for mommy and daddy’s photos (or whoever else is present) they’re going to be left bored with nothing to do. This leaves room for disaster, because it only takes them about...30 seconds before they realize they’re bored and want to be done. I once had to chase a child through a field who decided he was done with us and wanted to pet some dogs. So whether it’s a toy train or a bag of cheerios, come prepared to keep your little one happy and safe while we work on other photos.

6. NAPS

Depending on how young they are, maybe try a nap a few hours before the shoot. But don’t wake them up right before we’re ready unless you want a case of the grumpies. Just make sure they’re well rested and ready to be silly by the time the camera goes on!

That saying ‘happy wife, happy life’? Try ‘happy child, amazing photos’. I’ll always do my best to have your little one “all smiles”, but following these simple steps beforehand can really help speed the process along which helps me deliver you even better photos.