Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned in my ten years of photographing children!!
Be excited leading up to it! Talk about how fun photos are going to be and how excited you are. They will feed off your energy.
Play games instead of posing. We can get fun photos having a tickle fight, playing red light green light, running circles around parents, etc.
Bring toys, music, or anything that makes them smile and feel comfortable.
Don’t be overwhelming. When there are ten people all yelling commands, it can be overwhelming and confusing for the kids. Keep it simple by having one family member behind me so they have a familiar face.
Don’t force them to do anything. If they don’t want to stand still, walk. If they don’t want to sit, do a piggyback ride.
Don’t expect perfection. Life isn’t perfect, especially with kiddos, so let your photos reflect it! Silly faces, hairs out of place, dirt on the outfit, all of it can be part of the shoot!
Don’t expect your kids to do what the kids on Pinterest are doing (not to mention you probably pinned the best photo from 40 different photoshoots). Let your kids be their best versions of themselves instead of expecting them to be someone else!