My Favorite Prompts for Families
One of the main concerns I hear from parents booking family sessions with me is that they’re afraid their kids won’t cooperate and that we won’t get any great shots. I get it. Believe me when I tell you that my own daughter’s behavior causes me plenty of stress and anxiety. She is strong-willed, hilarious (and knows it) independent, and high-energy. These will all be great characteristics when she is 25 years old, but in the meantime, trying to get her do anything she doesn’t want to do is a struggle. (And did I mention that I was a teacher for 11 years, 4 of which I spent with 7th graders? Your kid doesn’t scare me.)
Here’s my big secret, though. I’m not going to force your kids to do anything. And I’m pretty much going to require the same from you for the duration of our session. We’re going for authentic smiles and emotion here, and, I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a time that trying to force a kid to smile produced anything authentic. Do you know what DOES produce authentic smiles though? Connection, interaction, and fun. So that’s what I’m all about and it’s how I capture love-filled, happy images every. single. time.
All I need you to do is show up, relax, and love and your kids. They’re the boss of our session- if they want to play in the creek? Great. They want to pick flowers? Go for it. They don’t want to do anything? Well, I’ve got you covered there, too.
Below are my favorite prompts for family sessions. These prompts work on all different ages and guarantee true smiles. Your kids might even have so much fun that they forget we’re taking pictures in the first place.
Tickle Fight
This usually works great for babies and toddlers. I usually just get everyone placed where I want- either standing & holding your kid, or seated with your kids on your lap, and once everyone is settled, I start talking and asking questions. Then I randomly yell out ‘tickle fight!’ and let the parents tickle their kids (sometimes older kids tickle back, which also works!) Bonus points for laying kisses on your kids or blowing raspberries into their necks at the same time.
Forehead Game
This one is great for toddlers and elementary aged kids. It’s as simple as it sounds, too. I have the parent hold their kid and face each other with their foreheads touching. The object of the game is to stay like that and stare at each other- whoever laughs first loses. Some kids are really great at this game- feel free to tickle or cheat if needed :)
Airplane
This is another great one for babies and toddlers and get them giggling. While either standing or sitting, one parent throws them up over their head and catches them. An alternative is to drop them down and pull them back up, or fly them through the air. Different kids like different things, but one of these variations is likely to work for even the the most stone-faced babes.
Prompts for Older Kids
Older kids are a lot more challenging that younger kids when it comes to capturing genuine smiles and emotion. Sometimes they hate getting pictures taken, sometimes they feel self-conscious. Whatever the reason, the main trick here is to distract them from the fact that you’re taking pictures. One of my favorite prompts for older kids is to have the parent hold their child (or just face them, depending on age) and then I ask the parent to privately tell their child one reason they’re proud of them. Works every time. No kid is capable of not smiling when their mom or dad are telling them all the reason they’re so great.
Another go to is to have mom and dad come to the session armed with their favorite funny stories about each kid when they were little. Kids love hearing stories about themselves, and the funnier the story, the better the laughs. Movement always works, too- get the kids walking and they won’t be focused quite so much on me!
No matter what age your kids are, the key is to focus on prompts more than poses. Try to incorporate movement and connection among your family members. Play games to get your kids focused on having fun, rather than having a camera in their face. Encourage eye contact and conversation. Most importantly, you know your kids best. Sure, I come to our session armed with all sorts of strategies for getting your kids smiling, but chances are you have some tricks up your sleeve that your photographer knows nothing about.Tell funny stories, talk about inside jokes, tell your kids all the reasons you think they’re amazing, and trust that your photographer is clicking away through all of it.