My Favorite Prompts for sessions with toddlers
These two baby best friends just love to have fun! When it comes to taking photos of toddlers, it’s beneficial to work fast, as they have a really short attention span! So, let’s talk about how I quickly captured these photos of them. Here’s their portrait story, featuring some simple ideas and prompts for photographing toddlers!
Posing little munchkins can be hard! Let alone two munchkins! But I have photographed many toddlers and have learned a few tricks that have helped me get the best photos I possibly can of them!
1. I don’t spend too much time trying to pose them! Instead, I just let them hang out and then direct as I see fit! Because let’s face it, they don’t care about my photography needs! Haha. They often look at me like “let me do me and you do you, thanks.”
2. Focusing on what they find fun is a great way to connect with them on their level instead of trying to raise them to my level because like I said, they don’t care about my desires as a photographer. They’re babies!
The easy Prompts I gave these two Cuties
So, I asked Theo, “What kind of photos do you want to take?” And his reply was “I want to be THANOS!” Well, I couldn’t see myself photographing Thanos lol. So, I pulled out the superman costume from my client closet and his face lit up, we knew it was the one!
Step one, figure out what each child likes and how their interests can be used in the session.
I asked Myra Jo if she wanted to be Elsa since I had that costume. “Nope, I need to be Superwoman.” I just so happened to have this costume too! However, their interests may not always be attainable at that very moment. So, in this instance, I give each child a few options and they will choose from what they have presented to them! Toddlers like to have some control over what they’re doing. By giving them options to choose from, they are more likely to cooperate willingly for the photos!
Find ways to include them evenly!
1. “Theo, tell Myra Jo a secret! Something no one else knows!” (And of course, they whisper really loud and now everyone knows! So, I will then say, ” Umm I heard your secret! You said…!!” Usually makes them both laugh! Be ready to capture that!
2. Me: Hmm.. I bet Superwoman is Stronger than Superman!
Theo: Noo!! I’m a MAN!
Myra Jo: And I’M a SUPERWOMAN!
Me: Really? Prove it! I don’t see any muscles!
Looks like Theo lost the bet! but its ok because giving them another challenge makes it fun for them!
The hard part
Sometimes, someone isn’t as willing to take photos as the other. Don’t worry. It happens during most sessions with toddlers! However, it will especially happen if they aren’t having fun. Once I break the ice with the little ones, I am able to then control the entire session and get some great photos of their sweet faces! A good icebreaker might sound kind of basic, but for them, it works! “What’s your favorite ice cream!?” “My favorite is…!!!!” It’s something they love and gets the conversation going! And now… they like me enough to cooperate even if it’s only a little bit more cooperation than before! Sometimes, we can get so busy with trying to get the child to focus and to get the shots, that we forget to add in the prompts and the conversation starters. Prompts can be so simple, but I have found that remembering to include them in the session, actually works.
3. “Ok let’s take a chill break.”
I really like this because it gives me a chance to capture their calm side and to focus more on the candid moments. Therefore, I acted as though I was also taking a break and put my camera “down”. But not really. In the photo above, they leaned against each other on the wall, completely on their own! It made for such a cute photo of a tender moment!
Pay close attention to them!
4. During this calm moment, they both began to pick up sticks and leaves. So, I decided to use that.
“Theo, I bet you can’t find the best leaf that has the best colors!….I bet it smells like pickles?” Being goofy with them helps a lot too.
“Should I eat the leaf for dinner?
Theo – “NOO! that’s not food!” And my reply that made him laugh
” UHM.. It’s salad. Make me some leaf salad please!”
5. Myra Jo loves to say “GIRLPOWER” So I told her to say it as loud as she can! That simple instruction made her crack up! Toddlers are usually pretty easy to please! I just do what they like to do and show them that I’m their friend before I’m their photographer! That’s what they want. They want to have fun!
Don't overcomplicate it!
These prompts and fun ideas are super simple and may even seem redundant but they truly help! The idea may seem to be to just capture the moments as quickly as possible. While that is true, it is also important to pay attention to what each individual child connects to. Get them to connect with you! The session, in most cases, will be amazing and you can get a least a few amazing photos of them! Focus on them first. Get to know who they are! When we start the session off by showing genuine interest in them, they will be more cooperative for the session than if we are just telling them to smile at the camera multiple times. Telling them to smile doesn’t always work and it only makes them frustrated! So, if you’re a photographer, and you struggle to photograph toddlers, I hope you’ll take some of these ideas and implement them into your sessions!
Did you enjoy this blog? Check out these!
