Children grow up fast and nobody feels that more than the parents. Your only hope of freezing some of those precious moments from their childhood is to take photos and videos that will at one time, become priceless. Thanks to smartphones and their capable cameras, capturing regular moments is no longer a problem, but to mark special occasions, we still rely on professional photoshoots. So, if you have plans to gather the whole family soon for a family photoshoot, here are all the essential tips that you will need to prepare your children for it. In fact, some of them may actually teach you a few things about the photoshoot too!
Feed Them First
Children hate being hungry and they will show that hatred quite evidently, which is not good news at any point of time, but it is particularly bad news if you are about to do a photoshoot which revolves around them looking happy and playful! Make sure that they are well fed just before the photoshoot and the chances of them listening to you are increased tenfold, not to mention the fact that the children will naturally look happy and content in the final photos as well.
Bring Their Favorite Snacks to the Photoshoot
Food is a powerful motivator for children, but unfortunately, they are generally not motivated by the prospect of healthy snacks, although that can be changed. For the sake of the photoshoot though, bring their favorite snacks with you and tell them that they will get them on behaving well and listening to you. Admittedly, this isn’t the most ideal method to make children behave, but when it comes to situations where children are not particularly comfortable, food can actually be a comfort factor for them. Chocolates, candies, ice cream, etc. are known to work wonders!
Dress Them Well
As you are going to be making permanent memories, the attire needs to be appropriate for not just the grownups, but the children as well. Check out this website called NICKIS.Com, which has a huge collection of fashionable children’s clothing from luxury brands such as Givenchy, Ralph Lauren, Diesel, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Burberry, Tommy Hilfiger and pretty much every other fashion house that you can think of. Use the occasion to splurge a little and get your children clothes from some of the best brands in the world, because those photos will last long after your children outgrow the clothes themselves.
Make Sure They are Comfortable in Their Clothes
There are three factors to consider when it comes to comfortable dressing, and they are the size, the fit and how the clothes are actually making your child feel. Ideally, the fit should be perfect, but if they complain that it feels too tight, get them into something that’s a size bigger. It’s better if the children look a little funny in the snaps, than if they look uncomfortable. NICKIS also has a very wide range of options, so sit with your child and let them pick what they want to wear at the photoshoot. Of course, you will have to limit their options to match the theme, but even a little bit of freedom means a lot to young children and they will feel more excited at the prospect of wearing them.
Discuss the Photoshoot with Your Children
Instead of dropping the event on them unannounced, always prepare them for the shoot by speaking about it first. Tell them the dates well in advance, even if you think that’s redundant since they are little children. While they may not exactly have work or a personal life yet, knowing the date in advance lets them prepare for it mentally, not to mention it also makes them feel important, which contributes towards making them feel more valuable. You would be surprised at how sensitive and observant even little children are about such things!
Do Not Underestimate the Power of Positive Reinforcement
Children view things in the same light as their parents do, so if you view the upcoming photoshoot as something that you are feeling tense about and make that fact clear in your behavior, your children will replicate your behavior and be tense about it too. The solution lies in, well, not doing that! It is easy to get carried away with the obsession to make everyone look perfect in the pictures, and forget about the objective of the photoshoot to begin with. Don’t pass your own anxiety onto your children and make an effort towards making them and yourself feel like what it is actually supposed to be; a fun-filled family occasion.
Don’t Forget They Are Children
Perfection is not what makes a family photo perfect, but it is the authenticity of the emotions which the family members display towards each other and in general that counts the most. In other words, perfection of the family album is in the imperfections that make everyone stand out, and a good photographer concentrates on capturing exactly that. The good thing about young children is that they seldom fake emotions and are often totally unaware of the camera, even during a photoshoot. This is why photographers love clicking children because candid shots are so much easier and honest when the subjects are innocent. Unfortunately, a lot of parents do not understand this fact, and instead, want every photo to look perfect, which is just a recipe for an artificial album. Let the children be themselves during the shoot and you might be surprised at how good the album turns out to be. Nothing looks more authentic in an old family album than a picture where a child is smiling naturally.
Sometimes, we forget that children are in general carefree and find themselves to be comfortable in most situations. Just keep the following tips in mind and rest assured that your family photoshoot will be a great success, and probably even more enjoyable than you initially thought it would be.
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