When working with your clients I’m sure you have your go-to tried and true poses. Why wouldn’t you? You know that everyone can look great in those! But what we really need to point out and capture are all those candid precious in-between moments that make your clients personalities shine through. Below are some tips I’ve learned along the way that make everyone involved more comfortable to let those moments come to light!

The entire family were full of pure joy. The girls wore fascinators and really let their personalities shine through during the entire session. Just look at those cute faces! It’s my absolute favorite when the kids feel comfortable enough during a shoot to just be open and be themselves. That’s when you capture the best candid moments. Their gallery feels like a true representation of who they are as individuals and as a family.

Play Games

When little ones are involved, keeping things lively and fun are so important! So try implementing some small “games” to help with movement, laughter and having those in-between moments flow. For example, asking them to see how fast they can spin around or how high they can jump, making silly faces or crazy noises. Anything to get them to giggle and get some extra wiggles out.

These little girls loved dancing around and chasing each other during the shoot, so we captured that! It made for some genuine laughs and smiles!

You Need To Be Open

Yes, you as the photographer need to be open as well! Being fun and outgoing with your clients will help them to feel way more comfortable during your time together. Really be you and let your personality shine and just see how open your clients get!

And be prepared for things to not go as you planned. Part of being a great photographer is having the ability to pivot and change depending on what your clients are responding to. Sometimes a pose or prompt just doesn’t land and that’s ok! I don’t try to hide it with my clients. I usually just say, “That’s not working how I wanted it to. Let’s try this instead,” and then give them a new prompt. Being honest about what’s working and what’s not helps your clients know that not only are you a real person, but you’re there to make sure that they look their best in the photos and not just to click and deliver whatever images you get.

Just the Parents

When you’re taking family photos, it’s also important to get some great photos of just the parents. Giving them funny prompts like “whisper something funny in her ear” can create some amazing photos! The parents were so sweet and it was clear that they fully embraced every bit of their daughters’ personalities, and that came out in the photos. Sometimes just letting them watch their goofy girls made for some great moments between the two of them.

I promise those in-between, candid moments are going to be the highlight of your clients’ galleries. So take the time to experiment and see what a difference it makes!

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