Let's just get this out of the way first.

Your kids are probably going to be feral.

And honestly, that's fine 😂

I don't expect your kids to turn up to a family session, sit nicely, smile at me and behave themselves for an hour. I don't think anyone would enjoy that, least of all them.

I actually really like photographing kids when they're just doing their thing. My family sessions are pretty lifestyle, although somehow they always end up being this weird mix of candid, editorial and lifestyle. I don't really know how to describe it properly. I just know I don't want to spend the whole session telling everyone where to stand and asking your kids to smile at me.

That's not really my thing.

Little kids are usually pretty easy

If your kids are around one to three, I honestly find them pretty easy to work with. They don't really know what's going on yet. As far as they're concerned, they're just having a fun day out with Mum and Dad, and there's a random lady with a camera following them around.

So I mostly just follow them. I'll give Mum and Dad little prompts along the way, but I let the kids do what they want. If they're running, I'll follow them. If they've found something interesting, we'll go with that. If they want to be picked up, that's fine too.

There's not much point trying to convince a two year old that they need to stand in a particular spot because I have a photo in my head. They're two. They're probably going to ignore me.

And that's okay.

Once they're a bit older, we have to make it fun

Around three and up, kids are usually a bit more aware of what's happening. They know they're having photos taken. Some love it. Some absolutely do not.

So I try to make it feel more like we're just playing rather than having to stand around taking photos. I'll use bubbles, games and things like building blocks. Obviously I have to use the aesthetic building blocks because if they're going to be in my photos they need to look good too 😂

I'll set things up and give them something to do, but I'm pretty hands off with it. I kind of feel like the games master. I'll start something, see what they do with it and go from there.

Sometimes I'll be playing with them. Sometimes I'll be giving Mum and Dad prompts while the kids run around. Sometimes I'm just following them around like a sack of potatoes with a camera.

And that's usually when they forget I'm even there, which is perfect.

Older kids and teenagers are a little different

Once they're older, the whole thing obviously changes a bit. They know exactly what's going on. They know Mum and Dad have booked a family photography session and that they're going to have their photo taken.

Thankfully, most of them are pretty okay with that.

It also means I can actually direct them a bit more. I can give them a pose or tell them where to stand and they understand what I'm asking. So with older kids and teenagers, I'll do a mixture of more guided photos and the candid stuff happening in between.

I still don't want it to feel stiff though. I'll get the nice portrait of everyone looking at the camera, but I also want the laughing, the sibling interactions, the eye rolls and all the random stuff that happens when they're just being themselves.

Basically, the older they get, the more I can actually tell them what I want them to do.

Which is handy.

Mumma and mini shoot at Anna bay
***See the gallery here***

What if your child is shy?

Same honestly haha, I don't force it.

Ever.

I'll talk to them and try to interact with them, but if they're not interested in me, I'm not going to spend the entire session trying to win them over. Sometimes they're much happier sticking with Mum and Dad while I just exist nearby.

Like a sack of potatoes.

So that's what we do.

They can get used to me being there without everyone making a huge deal about it. I've had kids hide in bushes before and completely refuse to participate. We just carried on. We did the family photos without them and eventually they decided they wanted to come back.

And when they did, they joined in because they wanted to. Not because Mum and Dad had spent twenty minutes trying to drag them out of a bush.

Honestly, that works much better.

Please don't stress about them beforehand

This is probably one of the biggest things I tell parents.

Don't spend the week before your session telling your kids they HAVE to behave because we're having photos. Kids pick up on that stuff. If you're stressed about them behaving, they're probably going to feel that you're stressed.

And then suddenly this random photography session has become A Big Thing.

Sometimes that makes them nervous. Sometimes it makes them decide this is actually a fantastic opportunity to absolutely muck around. 😂

I find kids generally do much better when everyone treats it like a normal day. We're going out. We're going to play. We're hanging out together. There's a lady with a camera.

That's about it.

They don't need to know that you've spent three days worrying about whether they're going to cooperate.

If they cry, they cry

If your child starts crying, we'll deal with it. I'll try to distract them. If they want Mum, they can have Mum. If they want Dad, they can have Dad. If they want to run around, we'll run around.

If they're laughing, I'm going to let them laugh. If they're sitting there watching everything and not wanting to participate yet, that's fine too.

I don't really have a formula for this. If I'm being completely honest, I don't even know exactly how I do it sometimes.

I just watch the kid.

You can usually tell pretty quickly what they're comfortable with and what they're not. Some kids want to play. Some need a bit of space. Some want to be attached to Mum the entire time. Some need to run around like absolute lunatics for twenty minutes.

And some need to hide in a bush.

Apparently.

I don't want the photos to look like your kids have been told what to do

I think that's why my family photography ends up looking a bit different from session to session.

I do want beautiful photos. Obviously.

But I also want them to actually look like your family. I want the cuddles and the running around and the weird faces. I want the photos where your kids are laughing at something completely unrelated to what we're doing. I want the little moments between everyone.

And yes, I'll still get some beautiful portraits of everyone together.

It's just not going to be an hour of everyone standing still and looking directly at my camera. Some of my favorite photos are the ones where nobody is looking at me. They're just doing whatever they were doing.

So if your kids are a bit feral...

Good.

Bring them.

You don't need to spend the whole week threatening to take away the iPad. You don't need to apologize if your toddler has a meltdown. You don't need to worry if your baby isn't in the mood.

And you definitely don't need to apologize to me because your child has decided that today is the day they're going to ignore every single thing you say.

We'll work with it.

That's the whole point.

Your family doesn't have to be perfectly behaved for us to get beautiful photos. Actually, I'd much rather photograph the real stuff.

The cuddles, the chaos, the belly laughs, the messy hair, the little personalities, the kids running off, the way they look at you when they think nobody is watching.

All the stuff that is actually your family.

That's what I want to photograph.

Family Photography in Newcastle, Maitland, the Hunter Valley and Port Stephens

I photograph families all around Newcastle, Maitland, the Hunter Valley, Port Stephens and Lake Macquarie, and I'm happy to help you find a location that suits your family.

That might be a beach in Newcastle or Port Stephens, somewhere around Maitland, an open space in the Hunter Valley or one of the quieter spots around Lake Macquarie. I love locations where the kids can actually move around and explore rather than having everyone standing in one spot for an hour.

Wherever we end up, I'll work with what your family gives me on the day. Some kids want to run, some want to explore, some want to stick to Mum and Dad and some will probably try to hide from me 😂

No perfect behaviour required. No forced smiles.

Just your family, exactly as you are right now.

Family sessions and info here!

Let Them Be Kids: How I Photograph Families