WHY FAMILY PHOTOSHOOTS ARE NOT THAT STRAIGHTFORWARD…

It’s not often that something tweeted by Kim Kardashian strikes a chord with me. But, as a family portrait photographer, this really made me smile. It’s the perennial question: how do you get children to behave for a family photoshoot?

Last week, according to the Metro newspaper, the reality TV star tweeted: ‘I don’t think you really understand how hard it is to take a good family pic.’ She captioned the snap which featured Kim, Kanye and their three children, North, Saint, and baby Chicago. ‘This was all we got before all three kids started crying. I think I cried too,’ she added. In the snap Kim is holding Chicago while Kanye stands next to her, and behind their four-year-old daughter North who is standing on her mother’s feet. Saint is looking off to the side and apparently Kim was holding the back of his shirt to keep him from running away. Clearly she needed help on how to get children to behave for a family photoshoot

As the mother of two boys and family portrait photographer of countless families, this struck me as very honest and real. It’s not always easy to get children to cooperate with a family photoshoot when they would rather be running around, playing, getting dirty and generally being anywhere but standing smiling for the camera while a photographer faffs about endlessly.

So how do I get children to behave for a family photoshoot?

That’s why I make my family photoshoots fun for my young subjects. My sessions are informal and relaxed and involve a lot of laughter. I make the shoot dynamic so that the children don’t get bored and play up. For example, we often hold part of the photoshoot outside so they can run around, kick a football, blow bubbles and generally be children, It’s not realistic to expect them to sit still for ages, smiling nicely for the camera. So I capture them playing with their favourite toys, cuddling their favourite teddies, running around, drinking tea and generally having a blast doing what it is they like to do.

Here are some examples:

Not only does it result in a fantastic series of individual portraits of the children capturing a moment in time with their favourite things, but it makes them more amenable to the more formal group family shot which I conduct as quickly as possible once we have had fun doing the other shots.

By that time, I have established a good rapport with them and we have had fun. So all that remains is to tell some jokes, play some fun games and make them laugh and the group shot comes naturally.

Find out more about our family portrait photography.

So next time, Kim, give me a call and I’ll get North, Saint and even baby Chicago to pose for the most beautiful, timeless and elegant family portrait.

If you are ready to celebrate your family as you are, right now, contact me at the West London Studio at serena@serenabolton.com or on 07958 511819 to arrange a photoshoot in my West London Studio or At Home and On Location.