This is probably one of the biggest fears for families that have booked a session. You go through all of the stress and hard work to schedule a date, coordinate outfits, but what happens if we have “a day”? It’s ok! Just like us adults, kids have bad days, but there are a few things we can do to try and help them turn their day around and have a fun session.
Do I cancel or reschedule my session?
I definitely do not recommend canceling or rescheduling if that day works for you. Trying to wait for the perfect day and the perfect attitude is nearly impossible. Instead we can try to do things that will improve our child’s attitude and get you out of the house and off to the session. If putting on an outfit is an issue, let them dress how they want and bring the outfit with you to the session. Once at the session, we can work on getting the outfit, or parts of the outfit on. I had a client’s son refuse to wear a button up shirt. Instead he wanted to wear a special t-shirt. I suggested to him that we could wear the button up over the t-shirt, take a few pictures, and when the time was right, he could reveal his t-shirt like superman would….. he loved the idea! He was so happy and excited to show his shirt that all of the pre-reveal pictures were amazing, then it was his moment and he didn’t disappoint! Taking a difficult situation and turning it into something fun saved what could have been a rough session.
We are at the session and my child is not cooperating!
I get it, everyone is stressed! There is a lot of expectations on everyone to smile and behave. Let’s start there. Stress can be our worst enemy. I know it can be difficult, but try not to stress. The more you stress, the more everyone else begins to stress. I am here to try to turn things around with fun prompts and funny glasses and jokes. The best thing to do when you are feeling stressed during a session is to let me do all of the talking and directing. The last thing your kids want to hear is you giving them more directions when they are upset. Kids need time to calm down. If that means letting then run around for a minute to turn that frown upside down then we will do it! We will have a fun session!
The biggest thing I can’t stress enough is your attitude going into a session. I choose families to work with that don’t need that “perfect” picture. If this is you, I am probably not the photographer for you. Nothing in life turns out perfect, your photo session is nothing different. Instead we adapt to how our family is feeling that day and roll with it. In the end, when we don’t put that pressure on ourselves or our children, the session turns out amazing!
I am very fortunate to work with so many amazing families and I hope that you are one of them!
