How to Have Happy, Smiling Kids (YES, EVEN TODDLERS!) at Your Next Family Session, from your Greenville Family Photographer

Family photo sessions can be a mix of excitement and anxiety, especially when it comes to getting those perfect smiles from your kids. As a family photographer, I’ve seen it all, and I’m here to share my tried-and-true strategies to ensure your next family session is filled with happy, smiling kids—even those unpredictable toddlers! With the right preparation and mindset, you can turn a potentially stressful experience into a fun and memorable event for the whole family. Here’s how:

1. Prep is Everything

• Talk About It: Start talking about the photo session the week before. Make it sound exciting and fun!
• Set Expectations: Let them know it’s a time to play and be together as a family. Avoid making it sound too serious or stressful.

2. Build It Up as a Fun Activity

• Fun Over Serious: Instead of saying, “These are really important to mommy and you will be in trouble if you don’t smile,” try, “We love playing together, don’t we?! It would be fun to have pictures in our house of us having a good time, so we are just going to go have a fun time at the park and take pictures of it.”

3. Bring Bribes, but Use Them Wisely

• Keep Them Hidden: Bring along some bribes like candy, stickers, or a fun activity, but keep them hidden until needed. This way, the kids won’t be asking for them from the start.

4. Communicate with Your Photographer

• Favorites: Tell your photographer your kids’ favorite songs, TV shows, or anything else that can help make a connection.
• Backup Laughs: Share any words, stories, or jokes that always make your kids laugh. (Potty words work wonders, especially with boys, but don’t count the girls out!)

5. Stay Calm and Positive

• Kids Sense Stress: Kids are like dogs; they sense stress and pressure. Stay calm, even if they are having a tough moment. They will come around.
• Let Kids Be Kids: We aim for the perfect “everyone smiling” photo, but we also love capturing interaction photos and those little in-between moments where kids are just being themselves.

6. Trust Your Photographer

• Experienced with Kids: As a photographer with 3 little ones of my own, nothing your children do will throw me off. We will get great shots, and I will pivot as needed to ensure that happens. I’ve gotchu!!

Follow these strategies, and you’ll have a fun, stress-free family photo session with lots of happy, smiling kids!