The dreaded tears and tantrums on the day of your photoshoot. It's every parents worst nightmare. Here is a few ideas which will help to minimise meltdowns on the day of your photoshoot.
Use your full arsenal of please-don't-cry-tactics
You know your children best! I have learnt a lot of games and please-don't-cry-tactics from parents who have random songs, silly faces and games that their kids just LOVE, but which totally don't work with the next lot of kids! A classic was a little boy I was photographing who would burst into fits of laughter whenever someone sneezed, which obviously wouldn't work with anyone else. With this in mind, let your photographer know if there is a song that they can sing which your kids love, or if a ducky noise will make your toddler their best friend. I find that children always smile so much more if it's their parents making the noises and silly faces, but when trying to get a whole family shot this isn't always possible, so give your photographer every tip and trick in your arsenal!
Kids Can Smell Stress - Don't Rush!
Don't set yourself up for failure by booking a photoshoot in that tiny time gap between nap time, the doctors and football. If it involves running around and getting changed in the car, it's probably a bad idea. Kids can smell stress and don't perform well under pressure! So pick a time slot for your photoshoot which isn't going to be a rush so that everyone can turn up in a good mood.
Make sure that you know exactly where you are going before you leave for your photoshoot and plan to arrive with at least 5-10 minutes to spare. There is nothing worse than running around trying to find somewhere to park. This also helps to avoid 'you-were-meant-to-be-directing-me' related arguments which greatly increase the risk of your kids arriving for their shoot upset.
Book the right photographer
Perhaps you had some incredible engagement photographs taken with your partner a few years back, or maybe a friend can recommend the photographer who took pictures of her business to you. Whilst they 'might' do a great job, I would always recommend booking someone who specialises in family photography. Working with adults, products or models is very different to kids!
I truly believe that to take a great photograph of a child it is 60% about being a children's entertainer and 40% photographic skill. It doesn't matter how great with a camera you are, if you can't get a crying 4 year old to giggle, you aren't going to get the shot. Do your research and make sure to read reviews and your photographers 'about' page (you can view mine here) to find out more about them as a person. Whilst their work might be exceptional, if your kids aren't going to have fun and warm to them, you probably won't get the shots you are after.
Pack A Bribery Bag
As an experienced family photographer I have a range of toys which I always bring with on photoshoots. If you've had a photoshoot with me before, you will remember my farting pig toy which has a 99.9% success rate in making kids laugh.
Packing a bribery bag is a great way to turn around a tantrum filled photoshoot. The absolute key part of this is to under no circumstances get it out when things are going well, unless you want your children holding their favourite toy and a biscuit for the rest of the session. It is for emergency use only and should be top secret!
In the bribery bag I would suggest a snack (quick to eat is key!) such as smarties, a favourite toy and bubbles. For babies a music box or rattle can be great to help get them looking at the camera. All of these items can help to distract from whatever is upsetting your child and help to get your photoshoot back on track.
If you head over to my Instagram (@isabellafleurphotography) you can check out an extended video on this topic, which shows you what to bring with on a photoshoot, in addition to bribery snacks!