Working with Children & Animals

While most of my experience is in photographing children, I'm going to go ahead and include animals because most of the basic rules apply to both.

Taking pictures of children can be stressful. Children are easily thrown into a frenzy over timing, location, temperature, demands, and even overstimulation.



Working with Children & Animals - Plan around NAP TIME



Whenever I'm planning a session with children the first thing I ask the parent is "when do they take their nap?"



This is so important. No one wants to get their kids all dressed up for portraits only for them to have a breakdown the second the camera starts snapping pictures.

Working with Children & Animals – Location, Location, Location



Bringing a child to an unfamiliar location and asking them to smile and act comfortable is just not realistic. Some children need to take their time adjusting to new experiences.



If a parent is insistent on a location that is new to their child, the child will most likely spend the entire session blankly looking at the camera or have a breakdown. And once a child warms up, the session is usually over.

Unfortunately, photographers can’t always keep shooting after the session is over simply because the child has finally opened up.

Most photographers have time caps on their sessions, and are quite strict.

Parents kick themselves over this after they get the pictures back and their child looks uncomfortable or even scared.

If possible, the best location is a well-loved park, or even the family’s backyard. If a child is comfortable and feels at home, they are able to let their infectious smiles shine through. Which makes all the difference.


Working with Children & Animals – Demands Lead to Shut-Downs



As adults, we sometimes forget that we don’t enjoy being told what to do. Children are no different. Children often shut down when they are given a stream of demands and instructions. Parents are so eager to get all the shots and poses they have in their mind, that they end up not getting their children to do any of them.


As a photographer, I get the best shots I can based on what the child is willing to do, and even based on what they are already doing naturally.


One of the best moments I ever captured was of a child singing their favorite song “twinkle, twinkle, little star” with their mother out of the shot singing along.


The expression was natural, and the child wasn’t self-conscious of the camera because they were distracted by doing something they loved.


Working with Children & Animals – Temperature

Adults are willing to get a gorgeous winter engagement shot in the middle of a snow storm wearing only a light sweater. Children aren’t so keen on being cold (and why would they be, when they don’t understand why they are taking pictures in the first place?).  


Imagine being poorly dressed outside in the dead of winter, or in the middle of a hot summer, standing around with your family for an hour.


So, while your child is adorable in their Christmas best, bundle them up for outside winter pictures. Or better yet, find an indoor location. Getting colds is not worth it. I promise.




Working with Children & Animals – Overstimulation



Children are so susceptible to overstimulation. Often families try to get as many members together for a session as possible. But, the more people you pile into a shot, the more distractions a child faces.


Busy parks or streets are also over stimulating to children. They can get sidetracked by a playground nearby, animals they may see, or even cars zooming past.



Keeping distracting sights and sounds to a minimum is the best way to keep your child engaged in the photographer.



Working with Children & Animals - Final thoughts

I promised to address working with animals, so here we go.

·         Always keep treats on hand. They are the #1 way to get a dog to look ‘directly’ at the camera.

·         Keep the comfortable. If a dog is agitated it will become aggressive if you continue taking pictures.

·         Location is key. Just like children, keep sights and sounds to a minimum. A dog will not sit still if they are tempted by other animals or food.

·         Have the owner close by. Same with children, they will feel intimidated and confused if left alone without their owner with a camera on them.

Happy Shooting!

Laura Rose-Grabinski
Rose Weddings & Photography
March 30th 2017