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Everyone loves cute pictures of kids, especially their kids, but let’s be honest here… children don’t always cooperate, especially for photos. It is important to work with a professional photographer that knows how to properly entertain children when photographing, while also understanding poses and promoting child photography ideas. Moms and dads can also help at the child’s photoshoot. Here are a few tried and true tips for helping children behave during photos. 1. Plan Ahead! There’s a lot that goes into our first tip. Bring 3-5 photos that you really want to get, but remember to be flexible and realistic. A 1-year-old isn’t always going to smile; a 3-year-old isn’t always going to standstill. You can still get great shots with grumpy or energetic children. This brings me to the second part of this tip: bring snacks and toys. What’s the easiest way to make a child smile? Their favorite food or their favorite toy. Plus, everyone is less grumpy when they are full. Next, make sure not to schedule a child photography session during nap time. Although sleepy kids can be cute, it is much better to have them fully awake and engaged in the session. Finally, make sure to get ready at home if your child gets annoyed with clothes changes. It is easier to fix an outfit that got wrinkled during the drive than a red cheeked kiddo with teary eyes.  2. Set expectations! Even little kids understand simple instructions, so explain to them what is expected. If you have multiple kids, ask the older ones to be in charge of the smaller ones, holding hands and supplying tickles for laughs. Especially at mini sessions, talking to your child ahead of time helps.  3. Make it fun! I mentioned bringing your child’s favorite toy earlier, but did ever think about using it as a prop? Let your child play with it to get those smiles. Tap into their imagination by making the photo session into storytime. They are a superhero that needs to save the town by posing in certain ways. Be silly yourself. Children love to see adults having fun. Make faces, throw leaves or snow, dance and have a blast!  4. Let your children decide! Life is more fun when you have choices, right? Well, children feel the same way. Let them decide which side to stand on. Let them choose their favorite shirt. Let them pick which toy to bring. These little choices will make a big difference in your child’s demeanor for the shoot - trust me!  5. Bribe them! We aren’t above a little bribery here. I can tell you that I LOVE to get ice cream after a photoshoot, and I’m sure your kids will be the same way! During the shoot, let them pick something out to hold from the background. Being told yes and having something of their own will make for a happy kid! 6. Relax! Children know when their parents are stressed and they may go into comforting mode or meltdown mode in reaction, so take a deep breath and RELAX. We got this! Just remember, nothing with children goes as planned, but we can always adjust the plan. 7. Just go with it! This is what I mean by adjusting the plan. Just going with it. Kids will act silly. They will give angry faces. They may grab something from the studio and start playing. Just go with it. We can get some adorable, and potentially embarrassing, photos when we embrace what the child wants to do.  These tips will help your child’s photo session be a hit. And if not, read tips 6 and 7 again. I promise we will get some awesome photos… they just may not be exactly what you expected.
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CHOOSING THE RIGHT LOCATION FOR YOUR PHOTOS CAN BE HARD. TAKE A PEEK AT THE BELOW SUGGESTIONS!
Did you know that it is better to shoot photography on cloudy days? Most photographers will likely tell you the same. Direct sunlight isn’t necessarily bad, but it is difficult. It creates high contrast, shadows, oversaturated colors, lens flares and more. And let me tell you, while not impossible to correct, this photographer would recommend avoiding that harsh, direct light. The reality is, though, sometimes you just have to accommodate for it. Here are 4 tips for better photos in harsh sunlight: Find shade. Okay, I know, I know. Here I said I would give you tips for taking photos in harsh sunlight and the first thing I tell you to do is find shade. But let me tell you, this is a wonderful tip! Moving into the shade allows you to cut down on shadows and post-production editing. So move your portrait in front of a leafy tree. If that’s not possible, you can always create your own shade. A beach umbrella creates a beautiful shade. If you are looking for a more professional route, you could use a pop-up diffuser, as well.  Position your subject away from where the sun is facing. We all squint when we see the sun, or we pull out our sunglasses. Either way, it won’t produce the photo we are looking for. Instead, face your subject away from the light. This also gives you the opportunity to create a shadow with your body, allowing your subject to be shaded.  Change your perspective. Sometimes you just can’t move out of the sun or create enough of a shaded area, and that’s okay. Move around your subject and look for the best angle and position to take the photo. This will change the angle at which the light hits your subject, giving you multiple photo opportunities without moving your subject. For example, bend those knees and shoot up toward your subject or find an elevated surface to shoot down toward your subject. You could even move left or right and gain a new view completely.  Use your tools. One of the worst parts of shooting in direct sunlight is the shadows. There’s an easy solution, though: a flash! What?!? Adding more light to the light? Yes! The flash will add light to the dark parts of the photo, eliminating, or at least lessening, any shadows. Another option is a reflector. While you may get lucky and find some natural reflectors, having your own reflector will help direct light where it needs to go to eliminate the shadows. If you are suffering from lens flares, consider using a lens hood. The hood will essentially block any light that is causing a flare. OR go with it. You can create some really neat photos using lens flares. The last tool is a filter. A filter can help lessen the amount of light getting into your camera. I recommend either a polarizing filter or a neutral density filter.  Although direct sunlight is not ideal, there are some ways to help with it. I still recommend waiting for a better time of day before trying any of these tips, but sometimes that’s just not possible. That’s when these tips come in handy!
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, first off thank you! Second, you already know I love boudoir photography! I even have a special ladies-only group for my boudoir photography. It promotes a positive, empowering environment for ladies of any age and body type to ask any questions they may have and feel great about themselves. I typically shoot boudoir sessions in my studio in Toledo or at various Airbnbs in Ohio. This allows for different settings and for the ladies to really use their environments to feel sexy and empowered. After all, my goal is just that: to make my clients feel sexy and empowered.  As a Toledo boudoir photographer, I’ve heard so many misconceptions about the art. Let’s address some of those, shall we? 1. It’s Porn. I HATE HATE HATE this misconception. Boudoir has nothing to do with porn. Boudoir is an artwork about empowering women and making them feel comfortable in their own bodies.  2. You need the PERFECT body. Let me tell you, you have the perfect body for boudoir no matter what you look like! I will continue to repeat this - the goal is to make you feel sexy and empowered just as you are.  3. I don't have anyone to give photos to. Girl, boudoir is a gift for yourself! Yes, you can give your photos to your partner if you’d like, but the real gift is feeling sexy in your own skin. Your photos are private, and I won’t share them unless you give me permission. You owe it to yourself to feel amazing.  4. You need expensive lingerie or to be naked. Grab your partner’s t-shirt and come on down! You don’t even need lingerie for a boudoir shoot - t-shirts, blankets, scarves, etc. make excellent lingerie alternatives. If you’d like some, I have a client closet you are more than welcome to use or hit up Shein, Forever 21 or even Amazon (I’ll share some of my faves below). You’ll be surprised what you can find for under $20. If you are worried about being naked, you don’t need to be. Only strip down to your comfort zone.  5. You’re awkward. Cool, so am I. Now that that’s out of the way: getting in front of the camera can be nerve-wracking for some people. My goal is to make you feel comfortable and empower you. You are in a judgment-free zone with me. I’ll be your hype girl! Boudoir is a chance to put your fears behind you and try something truly empowering. You’ll realize you’re not as awkward as you think you are.  Mini sessions are a wonderful way to get photos of your loved ones without spending too much time or money. So, what exactly are the perks of mini sessions? 1) Mini sessions are great for kids! We all know a kid's attention span is… lacking, especially when it comes to something they don’t want to do. With mini sessions, we only require 15 minutes of your child’s attention.  2) Mini sessions are great for family photos! If you’re like me and like to reminisce, family photos are a fantastic way to do so! Almost everyone can spare 15 minutes for some family photos, plus you still get a ton of amazing pictures!  3) Mini sessions are a great way to get to know or try out a new photographer! If you are looking for a new photographer, minis can be a great way to try one out. The session will allow you to get to know the photographer and see how they work without the commitment.  4) Mini sessions don’t cost a ton! As a photographer, I understand what all goes into photographs. With minis, you still get the same quality, but for a snippet of the cost.  5) Mini sessions are a ton of fun! It’s a great time to just let loose and have fun with your pictures. Plus, I’ll be telling bad jokes and having fun with you!  |
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