How To Get Perfect Family Photos with Young Kids
If you're a parent with younger children, you know that their attitudes can change at the drop of a hat. Any number of things can cause a young kid to start acting a little excited and make it hard for them to sit still. Maybe their nap was too long or too short, they finally get to wear that new shirt and just can't wait to see how it looks, or they know snacktime is coming up and they are “totally starving.”
So how do you get the perfect family photos when your little bundle of joy wants to act like a bundle of destruction? You roll with it!
Not the answer you were expecting? That’s cause I don't see the perfect photos as everyone sitting up straight and smiling at the camera.
Perfect photos are supposed to capture genuine interactions and emotions.
If your kiddos don't feel like sitting still, I'll give prompts that let them run towards you and jump into your arms. We can do tickle fights, make mommy or daddy laugh games, or skip in a circle while making animal noises!
A beautiful example is Matt and Kaycee's family photos that took place on a crisp fall day at a park. Their two girls were napped, fed, and something about that change in the weather made them so jazzed to be outside and crunching through the freshly fallen leaves. They were not listening to mom and dad, trying to sprint off into the woods anytime they were let go, screaming at worms and wanting to jump off benches. A headache for any parents who tried so hard to coordinate a day and time, outfits, location, and planning the nap schedule accordingly.
There was no fighting it and no amount of bribery that could crack those hellions. Such is the power of 3 and 4-year-olds. So we leaned in!
We came up with games that let them run and be goofy and silly. They could show off their new boots and flip their freshly styled hair. They were allowed to make faces and laugh at fart noises and have fun!
Sometimes you can just let you kids be wild cause this is their first time living too, and isn't that a beautiful thing?
The perfect family photos come from true family interactions-giggles, wind flowing through their hair, bear hugs, and silly faces. All the dynamics of your life should come through in your photos. The joy of having active kids and the memories of chasing them around are precious and should be captured honestly. Embrace the craziness and know it's another memory that you get to keep forever cause kids never stay little for long.
