Getting the perfect picture of your little bundle of joy can be a huge pain. After all, your little bundle likely cares little for your desire to capture his cuteness for all to see. He, in all probability, is more interested in sleeping, toys, eating or soiling his diaper. Despite this, you can still get great portraits of your kids. Here are 10 tips for getting great portraits:
1. Have realistic expectations. Your infant, or toddler is likely not going to stand for 3 outfit changes and five poses. When we go, we only do one outfit (can you imagine changing 5 kids?) and we ask specifically for what we want. If we want the Christmas shot for the cards, we ask them to do just that shot several times to make sure we get a good one.
2. Choose your photographer wisely. We only go to studios that have no sitting fee. It would just annoy me too much to pay a sitting fee for a session where my baby was too cranky to photograph. Also, this way, we haven’t spent any money for shots that we don’t like.
3. Plan, plan, and plan. Don’t go when it’s crowded. This might mean that you’re doing Christmas card pictures in October but whatever. Bring snacks, combs, brushes, extra hair things and favorite toys. We once got through a sitting with 9 kids under the age of 7 with fruit snacks.
4. Don’t be overbearing. Feel free to tell the photographer how you want the pictures to look, but sometimes too much involvement is a bad thing. I was recently getting pictures of our children done when a mother came out from the room where her child was getting pictures and said, “I got kicked out. They said I was too distracting.”
5. Consider black and white. If your studio offers it, black and white softens pictures and can make the photo look really classy. It may also offset any unplanned drool that is escaping from your baby’s lips.
6. Don’t use props–unless you need props! Sometimes props are a distraction and rather than looking at the camera and smiling, your baby will just want to play with the toys. Other times, I’ve seen babies who are not even willing to get on the mat unless there are some toys there.
7. Accept something other than the smile. Baby portraits are also cute if they’re serious or sleeping or goofy. If you give your photographer all of these options, he or she is more likely to get a great shot. Portraits, even formal ones, are more fun if they reflect the child’s personality.
8. Have fun. Nothing is more annoying than a grumpy mother who is complaining about everything. Have fun with your baby and make the session like a game.
If you take a relaxed attitude towards getting portraits done, you are much more likely to get pictures that you want to keep!