How to get those real smiles from the little ones [Gainesville, FL Photographer]

Nobody likes the "say cheese" smile in a family portrait!!

Kids are completely unpredictable. They can be so adorable and easy going and laughing uncontrollably one minute, and the next minute, turn that charm off completely. They will typically smile for you all day long until you put them in front of a camera, then they freeze up like a deer in headlights. We want to avoid the gritted teeth and bug-eyed forced smiles during our session.

Below are a few suggestions I always give to moms & dads before the session:

1. Make a list of things that your child thinks are funny and send it to us prior to the session. This way, we can be prepared and add these things into our bag of tricks. 

For one session, I had a mom tell me her little man found burping frog noises hilarious. Guess what I did for about 75% of the session!? I'm very prepared to be silly!!

2. Also give us a list of icebreakers for your child. Tell us the kinds of shows they watch, music they listen to, friends’ names, favorite story, etc. This will give us something to talk to them about, and will help them forget they’re in front of the camera. 

I always come armed with a series of questions only for the little ones to answer that always cracks a smile or two. For example, who is funnier, mommy or daddy? Who makes bigger messes, mommy or daddy? If there are siblings involved, the question who gets in trouble the most ALWAYS has the entire family laughing and interacting, which makes for some great natural shots. 

3. Practice phrases at home to see which ones evoke the best smiles from your child. (Please, oh please, avoid “Say cheese!” unless that really works for you child.) 

I once had a little girl that would ONLY crack a smile if I'd shout out, "Say mommy boogers!!" 

4. Try out a couple of jokes with them. During the session, we can ask them to tell us a joke and this will typically loosen them up as they tell it to us.

Asking them to tell you their favorite joke usually gets a nice response. Double points if you laugh and ask them to tell you more, they'll be excited you want to hear more!

5. If there is a song that your child loves, load it up to your phone and bring it along with you, or be prepared to sing it for them during the session.

During the Frozen phase, I can't tell you how many times I was belting out Let it Go at the top of my lungs with little girls. 

6. Prepare a bribe (such as a toy, a trip to the zoo, etc.) and show it to them, or remind them of it, during the session.

I am totally for bribery if none of the other 5 suggestions do not work. I try to have my bag of treats or goodies with me that they can "pick a prize" from at the end of the session. 

In the end, let me do what I do best and don't worry if you think your little one isn't cooperating. I don't expect all children to sit still and "smile pretty." Let them up, run around, and let me chase them and grab those quick, sweet moments. You entrusted me to capture their personality and that is what I intend to do!