Sunflower Field Session & My Trick To Taking Children's Photos

I have been wanting to take the girls out for a photo shoot for a while. Before I became a photographer I use to set up all most monthly sessions for them with my family photographer. It was so much fun, getting their outfits together, fixing their hair, painting their nails. So when I became a photographer I remember telling myself "OMG, I'm going to be able to do themed photo shoots with the girls ALL the time, and it's going to be SOO much fun!" Negative. But that wasn't going to stop me from trying. I just had to get a groove with my kids. Isabel is pretty much a breeze to take pictures of. Sophia on the other hand....

As soon as I take the girls out to a spot for photos and position them into the very first pose, Sophia always says "I'm ready to go home" or "Mommy I want purple candy" or "I DON'T WANT TO TAKE PICTURES!!" (insert eye rolls here) So last night after telling her we will go out and get yogurt, ice cream with purple lollipops (& giving her a dollar she found at the bottom of my purse) we were ready to go!

Doesn't that look like the face of someone ready to take some pretty pictures. :0) She's got that wink down.

Now I know I can't bribe other peoples kids with candy and ice cream. ;) So this is my trick to taking children's photos.

At a lot of my sessions with children, when they are being fussy or just don't want to get their pictures taken, the parent's will often apologize to me. I always tell them that it is okay, and that with kids it's bound to happen, but we will work through it. And if I absolutely have to, I will tell the parent to have a seat or stay a little behind in the distance. When it's just me and the kids and we can talk and have a fun conversation without the parents around, they loosen up a bit. This is how I like to get those adorable little smiles looking straight into the camera! 

I always start the session off with these kind of photos. I like to get the kids comfortable around me, and talking to them and getting them to giggle a little or play peek a boo with me, always makes them forget that I am taking their pictures.

So after that is over and the kids and are are BFF's, I move on to the fun stuff! I {LOVE} candids. I love capturing the natural impressions of children. These are the photos you go back and look at and can see time frozen in their smiles, you can feel the wonderfulness of each kid shining out. Getting candid's is sometimes difficult, but if you aren't afraid of being absolutely ridiculously crazy, it should be a breeze. I will sing a song, dance around, play peek a boo (I bring that one out a lot, because it always works. With every peek, I have a different goofy face), or tell a joke {I really need to work on these. lol} I may have to add some jokes notes on my ipad for the older kids.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures from my sunflower field session with my little ones. And I hoped I helped with getting pictures of your little ones. And for my clients, now you know that I too have the same problem with my kids. ;)

-Nicole