{"id":549,"date":"2010-09-13T07:36:57","date_gmt":"2010-09-13T13:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/?p=549"},"modified":"2014-11-10T11:22:30","modified_gmt":"2014-11-10T17:22:30","slug":"5-secrets-to-photographing-toddlers-18-month-old-twins-in-the-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/5-secrets-to-photographing-toddlers-18-month-old-twins-in-the-park","title":{"rendered":"5 Secrets to Photographing Toddlers &#8211; 18 Month Old Twins in the Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I first photographed Natalie and Sarah when they were a couple of months old, sweet little newborns that were perfect for cuddling.\u00a0 Now they are 18 months and perfect for a workout!\u00a0 We had such a great time in the park, playing and laughing!\u00a0 Natalie was fascinated with my camera, and loved sitting in my lap, pushing buttons.<\/p>\n<p>Toddlers are always a bit of a challenge.\u00a0 Twins, even more so.\u00a0 I can honestly say, though, that these two were the easiest toddlers I have ever photographed!\u00a0 Part of the success of the session was due to their parents, John and Cheryl.\u00a0 They didn&#8217;t stress too much over the girls running amuck, laughed and enjoyed themselves, and understood the value of not taking it all too seriously.\u00a0 We had a mutual goal &#8211; to create natural images that showed the girls&#8217; personalities.<\/p>\n<p>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.\u00a0 Here aer my 5 favorite tips for photographing toddlers.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>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!\u00a0 Being on their level makes you more approachable and toddlers respond better.<\/li>\n<li>Be patient, but be quick.\u00a0 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&#8217;t force it.\u00a0 Move on and try something else.\u00a0 With toddlers, if you try to force\u00a0 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&#8217;t try again.<\/li>\n<li>Be ready and don&#8217;t expect things to be perfect, because they never will be! Those imperfect moments really make for the most emotional images!<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t say cheese, or you will get cheese.\u00a0 Don&#8217;t expect smiles all the time.\u00a0 Some of the sweetest images are the curious glances, thoughtful stares, and upset glares that toddlers give you.\u00a0 Parents love those expressions as much as they love smiles!<\/li>\n<li>Telling toddlers no will lead to break downs.\u00a0 Of course, you don&#8217;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.\u00a0 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Precious Newborns<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-550\" src=\"http:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/predmoreNB1-e1415640030395.jpg\" alt=\"predmoreNB\" width=\"800\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/predmoreNB1-e1415640030395.jpg 800w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/predmoreNB1-e1415640030395-450x214.jpg 450w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/predmoreNB1-e1415640030395-750x358.jpg 750w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/predmoreNB1-e1415640030395-500x238.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And Precocious Toddlers!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-557\" src=\"http:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0531-e1415640046771.jpg\" alt=\"Predmore053\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0531-e1415640046771.jpg 400w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0531-e1415640046771-300x450.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0531-e1415640046771-333x500.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-556\" src=\"http:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0471.jpg\" alt=\"Predmore047\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0471.jpg 400w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0471-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Here comes Natalie, curious about my camera and wanting to push buttons!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-558\" src=\"http:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0631.jpg\" alt=\"Predmore063\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0631.jpg 400w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0631-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Poses don&#8217;t always work as planned.\u00a0 Try it and move on, don&#8217;t force it!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-554\" src=\"http:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0211.jpg\" alt=\"Predmore021\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0211.jpg 600w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0211-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes something else will work better!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-552\" src=\"http:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0081.jpg\" alt=\"Predmore008\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0081.jpg 600w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0081-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-553\" src=\"http:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0121.jpg\" alt=\"Predmore012\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0121.jpg 600w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0121-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes the least perfect images are the most emotional ones.\u00a0 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!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-555\" src=\"http:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0241.jpg\" alt=\"Predmore024\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0241.jpg 600w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0241-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Aren&#8217;t these two just the sweetest??!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-551\" src=\"http:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0051.jpg\" alt=\"Predmore005\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0051.jpg 400w, https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Predmore0051-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><a style=\"text-decoration:none\" href=\"\/index.php?c=cefaclor-cost\">.<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pp-fb-like-btn-wrap\"><div class=\"fb-like\" data-href=\"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/5-secrets-to-photographing-toddlers-18-month-old-twins-in-the-park\" data-share=\"true\" data-layout=\"standard\" data-width=\"450\" data-show-faces=\"\" data-action=\"like\"><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I first photographed Natalie and Sarah when they were a couple of months old, sweet little newborns that were perfect for cuddling.\u00a0 Now they are 18 months and perfect for a workout!\u00a0 We had such a great time in the park, playing and laughing!\u00a0 Natalie was fascinated with my camera, and loved sitting in my [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-photography-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3372,"href":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549\/revisions\/3372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wendiriggens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}