tips for photographing a toddler
bow tie: last season (similar here), shirt: H&M, shorts: The Children's Place, sandals: Salt Waters
It's no secret that photographing toddlers can be, well, challenging. Bear is actually a pretty cooperative subject and does what I tell him, but some days are harder than others to get a decent shot. It can take a great amount of patience to get that perfect picture and patience is something toddlers don't quite understand yet. Here are a few tips that work for us when taking pictures of Bear!
1. Revise your expectations. Shooting little people is very different than shooting big(ger) people. You can't expect a toddler to follow directions to a T, or that you'll get the session done in five minutes flat. Try and relax and have fun with them, otherwise they'll feed off your stress and you'll both be frustrated.
2. Be prepared. Have snacks, Dum Dums, water, and favorite toys on hand. You've probably noticed that many of Bear's toys make the shots he's in...I don't dare pry them away! The point is to catch him in his natural state, doing what he loves. That's when he's happiest and the sweetest, raw moments are captured. Little Star Wars toy and all. If a break seems in order, let it happen. Chances are your toddler will be much happier after a snack and drink, especially if it's hot out.
3. Use shutter speed. These little people are energizer bunnies, I'm telling you. They never slow down! Because of this, shutter speed is key. I never go under 1/250 with Bear, especially on days he's really active and running around.
4. Location is key. Sometimes, a toddler just isn't feeling their surroundings. Be prepared for this and have a back-up location, or two or three, in mind. Just last weekend, we had a Halloween shoot with my good friend Aimey of Diamond Oak Photography. To say Bear was not feeling his costume would be the understatement of the century. We drove to three locations before finally finding "the one", a warehouse with cars driving by that Bear could yell "Car's comin'!" at Aimey and crack up every time. We couldn't even get a smile at the other spots; I'm so glad Aimey didn't give up on our little rascal.
5. Don't worry about posing. A legit photographer might say otherwise, but I'm just a mom with a camera that's trying to capture some cute pictures of my son. There's rarely a third party present when we're taking pictures; it's almost always just Bear and me. Because of this, I let him do what comes naturally. Sure, I'll provoke with a "Say cheese!" or occasionally "We'll go to Chick Fil A if you smile one more time!", but I let him do the posing. Which is using plopping down on the sidewalk and looking slightly exasperated. And that's okay. :)
It's a cloudy, rainy day in Houston and we're celebrating by staying in our jammies all afternoon and reading every Halloween book in existence 48 times. These days are my favorite.
xo, Britt