WORTH THE EFFORT
THOUGHTS ON HOW TO KEEP IT FUN
Sometimes when you are the one behind the camera, you can forget what it's like to be in front of the camera. I try to stay in touch with this experience by having my photos taken or planning shoots for my kids. Photographing my kids is more challenging as I have to be a mom and photographer simultaneously. It's easy to have a grand plan in your head but getting your kids to play along is another thing entirely.
This foggy day beach shoot is an example of a shoot with all the makings of a disaster. My youngest cried for most of the trip to the beach, my daughter complained about wanting snacks the entire time (we had lots of snacks in the car.) When we were 5 minutes from the beach, it started to rain. When we finally made it onto the beach, it was cold, wet, and windy. My youngest didn't want to wear gloves and kept trying to eat the sand. My husband was mildly disgruntled, and after a wave approached my son too quickly and soaked his pants, he then screamed at the waves for a solid 15 minutes. Honestly, the list goes on. My point is that there will always be something. Here are a few lessons I have learned over the years:
DON’T
Never preempt a shoot with bribes or pleads. You are setting a tone that the shoot will not be fun. Everyone will be waiting for the session to end instead of enjoying it in the moment.
TRY
Focus on being excited about the session. Say things like; I can't wait to have our photos taken. It's going to be so much fun!
DON’T
Avoid trying to micro manage the situation. I know your kids may be jumping around and not looking at the camera. You may be thinking there's no way these photos are going to be good. What a waste!
TRY
Trust your photographer. If they are shooting through the scene, then they are seeing something worth capturing. Scolding your kids or stopping them from enjoying a moment of play will only fuel bad moods.
DON’T
Go unprepared. I did this myself recently. I planned a full wardrobe for my family in the fall, and the morning of our session, the temperature dropped significantly. My kids were wearing light fall clothing on a winter day, and it showed.
TRY
Plan and take a backup outfit. Not just for sudden weather changes but accidents. If you have a backup pair of pants, a skinned knee won’t seem like a big deal.
If all else fails, as sometimes it does. Just laugh through it all. At least you will have a story to tell and some lovely photos that don't show what a shitshow it was. Despite all the chaos, my kids had the best time, and my daughter keeps talking about going back to the beach.