The majority of my family sessions are only 30 minutes long, so if I encounter a tricky situation, I have to fix it FAST, and I always do.
Over the years, I’ve picked up tons of ideas how to fix a variety of “unfortunate situations,” and I’m going to share my best ones here with you!
Disaster dads
You know who I’m talking about. That guy who’s either too cool to smile or too self-conscious to relax and have fun with his family. Maybe he’s simply grumpy because family photos were NOT his idea, and he’s done everyone a favor by showing up.
Yeah, no. This guy has got to come around and I know you can get through to him using these tips.
First step: Kill him with kindness. Since his bad attitude is almost certainly due to his insecurity, give him a compliment. Avoid giving him any wrong “ideas” by trying something like, “That’s a really great shirt! My husband/brother/best friend has the same one and I love it on him.”
Next, I say something disarming so that he knows it’s okay to be silly. I’ll tell both parents what a fool I make of myself at all my sessions and sing a nursery rhyme off-key to their kids to prove that I’ve checked my dignity at the door. When I get a cute shot of the kid smiling, I’ll show him the back of my camera and emphasize “See, wasn’t that worth it?!” Grumpy dad will melt at the sight of his child looking happy and will be more likely to participate since it will help capture more of those moments.
Snot city
Why don’t people reschedule when their kids are clearly sick as heck?! I wish this didn’t happen, but the reality is that some parents don’t want to bother with organizing a different date for their family portraits. So they show up with a kid whose nose is either running like a faucet or crustier than a loaf of french bread.
For the booger issues, I always have a small box of tissues and a pack of baby wipes on hand. I don’t want to spend hours editing the child’s nose in every photo, so I will ask parents politely to try and clean up their kiddo’s face before I begin taking photos.
Body-conscious mom
Let’s be honest, this includes pretty much every female. But once in a while, I’ll get a mom who absolutely obsesses over “how bad” she looks in all photos for any number of reasons including needing to lose weight, bad skin, random facial feature, etc. She can be drop-dead gorgeous or actually have a legit concern, but the key here is to make her feel like a super model no matter what.
This is her special moment with her family. She was brave enough to book the session and show up, and to me, that is worth celebrating!
In each shoot, I always find the best features to encourage and compliment mom and I’m very vocal about it. Examples are, “You look so good when you stand to the side and bend your knee!” or “Blue is totally your color!” Everyone in front of a camera needs positive feedback to know they’re looking fabulous in their portraits, so don’t be shy with the praise!
Distracted baby, uncooperative toddler
I bring a small tote bag with me to all my outdoor sessions that contains a variety of tools in case of emergency. Included are the previously mentioned tissues and wipes, a variety of small toys which make sound/music, a bicycle horn, a bell, a rattle, soft toy, TicTacs and M&Ms.
I don’t bring out any of it unless needed, because sometimes the child won’t want to let go of one of my toys, causing a problem. But if a little one won’t make eye contact with me, honking a horn can definitely help. Once they’re tired of that sound and won’t look anymore, I move on to the bell, and so on. Sometimes letting a toddler play with the bag contents for a few minutes disarms them and helps them forget that they’re having their portrait taken which gets some smiles.
The type of candy I bring to my sessions is very strategic. Both Tic Tacs and M&Ms are very small and can be eaten quickly. I don’t want to waste time waiting for my clients eat something, so tiny rewards to bribe children are the best. I always ask the parents first if it’s okay to give their kids candy, and you would not believe the lengths a small child will go to earn one Tic Tac!
Don’t lose your confidence
When everything seems to have gone wrong in a session you may have the urge to give up, format the card and throw the client’s money right back then and there. DON’T DO THIS!
You haven’t taken the time yet to thoughtfully look at the images you’ve taken. You MUST have the clients leave the session on a high and feeling good about themselves. That means they’ve got to think you got some great shots. Be sure to tell them you did!
Even when I’ve had sessions that I thought were a total wash, all of the images garbage, and I was embarrassed to deliver any of them, the parents told me later that they LOVE the images and they’re absolutely thrilled with them.
This may sound confusing, but you need to remember that parents are going to want any photo of their precious little angel, almost no matter what it looks like. It’s a portrait of their most beautiful creation and they will love your imperfect images because the subject is their perfect child. Also, the parents were at the session too, so they’ve got an understanding of what a nightmare their little monster was, which will make them even more impressed with the shots you managed to capture!
The next time a horrible session comes your way, and it will, tell yourself “you got this” and keep smiling through the whole thing.
Be sure to talk smack with a photog friend over wine afterwards, but definitely don’t let one bad session make you lose your confidence or love for what you do. We all have those sessions, and hopefully, some of these tips can help get you out of your next photography pickle!
Exactly what i needed today. Very good article.
I love the Dad tricks! I’ve definitely had the grumpy dad at sessions, and those will come in handy next time!