As a parent of two children, I know how hard can be sometimes to try to make your kiddos to cooperate just to get a couple of shots for a Christmas card.  Some kids are just like that. But we have to make the best out of it. Preparing ahead of time can help make the experience less stressing and more pleasant for the whole family.

In this post I will share some of the tips I learned with my own kids and photographing families with young children.

The first thing I will highlight, is to make sure you feed your children before you attempt to take them for a photo shoot. Lets be honest, most of us get cranky when we are hungry, we can’t expect our children to be any different. Second, make sure they are well rested, a good night of sleep the night before or If they nap in the afternoon, it would probably be a good idea to scheduled your photo shoot after their nap. A well fed and rested child is more likely to follow directions.

Third, try not to bribe them, instead, talk to them weeks before the session as a family fun activity where everybody is participating so they are looking forward to it, maybe you can all have a meal together after the photo-shoot so they see it as an activity. and last but not least, bring water and a small dry snack for after the session.

For the most part, these tips may help make the session go a little easier. Remember, we can’t predict the way our kids are going to act, but we can prepare them for it.