Summer photo shoots are easy, right? Everyone is happy, and you are likely at a beautiful location such as the beach. The weather is nice, and aside from the occasional bug, there isn't much to worry about. Cold weather photo shoots, (Fall, Holiday) outdoor shoots anyways, can be a different experience. The beach is windy, and that water is basically freezing. You just want nice looking, updated photos of your family since it's been a while, and for the love of god, the kids JUST HAVE to cooperate. So you have chosen what to wear, the location, and timing with your photographer, everything else should fall into place, right? Maybe, maybe not. Don't just hope for the best, and please do not yell at your kids if they don't cooperate :-), this will ensure it gets worse). In my time photographing families & kids, I have picked up a few tricks that might help you out, whether you are a parent, or a photographer.
1. STAY WARM- Plan Ahead. Yes, your kids will be cold, even if it's in the 50's. Kids are small, & likely have less padding (body fat) to keep them warm. Mom (because dad isn't going to do this), lay out the heavy clothes ahead of time with the photo worthy clothes, & bring those big heavy coats, hats, and gloves. When you show up to the location, and most importantly, keep kids in the warm clothes until the last minute when the photographer begins to pose everyone. I can't tell you how many times families show up, niceties & conversations begin, coats come off, and in 5 minutes the kids are cold & crying. This is a sure-fire way to start off on the cold foot (you see what I did there:-)). Plan ahead with your photographer, ask if the location/setup will be ready upon arrival, or if you should wait in the car until ready . A good photographer will have the location planned and ready to go upon your arival.
2. GIVE THE KIDS SOMETHING TO DO- You know your kids have very short attention spans, so don't expect this to magically change for this day. So many times I see kids bored, crying, and grumpy, mom or dad pull them aside and have the "remember we talked about this" conversation. No, your kid definitely does not remember this conversation (remember the attention span). So give them something to do. Plan ahead, either bring snacks (not messy), & toys, know to keep kids engaged, or even use what's around you. Beaches, woods, always have something fun, new, & interesting to discover. For this shoot (photos in this blog), I had 6 kids under 10 years old. All were great, but two I noticed had slightly shorter attention spans than the other kids & needed additional engagement. I typically carry an old camera with me just for times like this. All kids love playing with a camera and pretending to take pictures of their parents or siblings. I always show photos of the kids to them and ask if they want me to take more. This ALWAYS WORKS- Kids love seeing photos of themselves, and of course they want more, and this is their encouragement to "behave", have fun & continue. Don't expect your photographer to be this engaging, but maybe you bring an old camera that you don't care if it gets broken, or even a toy camera, just know that engagement is the key.
3. KEEP IT SHORT- Most photo shoots are somewhere in the one hour range (unless a mini-session), but that doesn't necessarily mean that you will be in front of the camera the entire time. Quality over quantity is key, especially with family photos. Your most important location/look/pose comes first, then go from there. With colder weather shoots, I keep each look/location short. Between the scenes so to speak, coats, hats, gloves go back on. Or, when my location is close to the car, I let the family know they can go warm up whenever needed. Nothing is a guarantee, but remember these tips. Planning ahead a bit goes a long way:-)