5 Secrets to Photographing Toddlers – 18 Month Old Twins in the Park

I first photographed Natalie and Sarah when they were a couple of months old, sweet little newborns that were perfect for cuddling.  Now they are 18 months and perfect for a workout!  We had such a great time in the park, playing and laughing!  Natalie was fascinated with my camera, and loved sitting in my lap, pushing buttons.

Toddlers are always a bit of a challenge.  Twins, even more so.  I can honestly say, though, that these two were the easiest toddlers I have ever photographed!  Part of the success of the session was due to their parents, John and Cheryl.  They didn’t stress too much over the girls running amuck, laughed and enjoyed themselves, and understood the value of not taking it all too seriously.  We had a mutual goal – to create natural images that showed the girls’ personalities.

For me, my preparation involved a little bit of extra sugar in my own tummy before the session to keep up with them, and being very patient.  Here aer my 5 favorite tips for photographing toddlers.

• Get down on their level! I did a lot of sitting, crawling, scooting, and rolling around on my belly in the grass to capture these super sweet expressions!  Being on their level makes you more approachable and toddlers respond better.
• Be patient, but be quick.  I know that not everything we try will work, so I try to get a shot and move on. If you try a pose and the toddler simply will not sit still, don’t force it.  Move on and try something else.  With toddlers, if you try to force  them to do something, it makes them less likely to do it. Many of these shots lasted only a few seconds to attempt, and we didn’t try again.
• Be ready and don’t expect things to be perfect, because they never will be! Those imperfect moments really make for the most emotional images!
• Don’t say cheese, or you will get cheese.  Don’t expect smiles all the time.  Some of the sweetest images are the curious glances, thoughtful stares, and upset glares that toddlers give you.  Parents love those expressions as much as they love smiles!
• Telling toddlers no will lead to break downs.  Of course, you don’t want to give them full control to do whatever they want, so give them a bit to do what they want and then move on.  This might mean letting them play with a random dog being walked through the park, or pushing buttons on your camera, or stepping on and off a step three dozen times.

Precious Newborns

 

And Precocious Toddlers!

 

Here comes Natalie, curious about my camera and wanting to push buttons!

Poses don’t always work as planned.  Try it and move on, don’t force it!

Sometimes something else will work better!

Sometimes the least perfect images are the most emotional ones.  When I spoke with John and Cheryl after they saw their proofs, Cheryl said this image of the girls walking away from the camera made her cry, and is one of her favorites!

Aren’t these two just the sweetest??!

 

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