How to Prepare Your Young Children for an Evening Photo Session
I frequently hear from my clients with young kiddos that they are concerned about doing a late evening session because of how it interferes with sleep schedules, and they worry about how their kids may behave during the session as a result.
This is certainly a valid concern, but consider for a moment whether or not you have ever seen young toddlers and summer night events like the 4th of July, rodeos, movies at the park, or trips to Disneyland.
Are those toddlers always cranky, and do those toddler’s sleep schedules prevent their families from enjoying these special occasions? Of course not! The same is true for summer night photo sessions!
REASONS FOR DOING SUMMER PHOTOS IN THE EVENING
The reason why I recommend doing summer sessions around 7:30pm is because summer days in the Pacific Northwest are very long, and by waiting until the hour before sunset, you can avoid both the heat and the harsh lighting of direct sunlight. It really does pay off to wait for that beautiful, glowing, golden hour lighting.
This can also be achieved by doing an early morning session, but this of course requires getting your family up and ready very early, which may end up making you feel tired and rushed.
Think an evening photo session might be the best choice for you this summer? Here are some tips to prepare your kiddo!
Adjust Nap Times
If your little one takes naps each day, try making sure they have a good nap later in the afternoon so they can be well rested for your evening photo session. This may require making sure they stay up a little longer mid-day, but it will pay off!
Let Them Be Themselves
As with all of my sessions, regardless of what time of day, I get the best results by letting kids be kids and incorporating fun activities into the sessions instead of expecting them to just sit still and smile. Whenever kids to get cranky during my session, usually initiating some play based on what they normally enjoy is a quick way to bring out some genuine smiles and giggles.
Bring Snacks
I am not the type of photographer to recommend bribery, but just like us, kiddos can get hangry after a long day and may benefit from a snack like a granola bar to give them a little boost.
Make Time to Relax
I also suggest that you plan in advance to not have any big activities scheduled with your family the day of or day before your session, such as birthday parties or family reunions. Try your best to spent most of your time leading up to the session at home, just snuggling or playing outside together.