Photographing Toddlers

Hey there! Laura here with another photography tip! This time we're going to talk about photographing toddlers. When your child starts to be able to decide when they want to move, photographing them suddenly becomes a lot more difficult. Not only do you have to keep them still but you have to get them to look at the camera and hopefully smile. I have a few tricks to make pictures with one year olds and up a little easier!

Tip 1. Use a chair!
There's a reason why so my photographers have a gaggle of chairs and its called toddler entrapment! Hopefully you'll have an older sibling or daddy nearby just in case but my son has been photographed in a chair a lot and has never (knock on wood) fallen off yet. They can sit, stand, kneel, chew on and hug that chair and you can capture a lot of adorable shots. Here are a few examples of 'in the chair' pictures.







2. Make some noise!
I have a collection of rattles, bells, whistles and other noise makers up in my studio. One isn't enough. After the child has heard it a few times, they quickly lose interest. Use it until you aren't catching their eye and then grab another. If you are lucky enough to have a set of child hand bells or other instruments, you should be set.

3. Wear something on your head!
Children can't resist hats or ears on your head. They will undoubtedly want it because you have. I often put it on the child first, let them take it off and then put it on my head. While they are busy coming up with a plan to get them back, I snap away. You can often find ears, insect antennae or other funny headgear during the holiday season in the dollar bins at Target or your local dollar store. Children are adorable wearing their head decor as well of course.

I hope these three tips help to slow your child down so you can capture them at their best!