Child Session Preparation

Children’s Sessions

WHEN

  • Children’s sessions should be booked for a time when they will be well rested and content, such as after nap time, or at a time during the day when you know they will be happy and easier to work with.
  • Children’s sessions are play time to me. I engage them in activities that they love, play peek-a-boo, and act goofy. Children typically warm up to me very quickly. I like to take my time with kids sessions so that they become accustomed to me and enjoy the time we spend together. Most of my clients tell me that it was the best part of their day and their children continue to talk about it for days after!!
  • Depending on the age of the child it can be hard to get them to pose, so instead I work with them by capturing the moments created through playtime. These images capture your child’s unique personality make beautiful keepsakes.
  • If your child has a hard time warming up to me and we are unsuccessful getting any good images from the session I will rebook you and try again, however most parents are surprised at the number of beautiful images I can get when their children are “not co-operating”. Shy children sometimes just need a second meeting to warm up. When your first session is paid in full I will provide the second session at no additional charge.

WHAT TO WEAR

  • For children’s sessions I prefer clothing that has no cartoons, pictures, images or branding on them, avoiding those such as Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, Cars, Disney etc. In order to create timeless images we need to take extra care to choose clothing that is not easily dated.
  • Jewel tones and earth tones photograph beautifully, and the secret to really stand out styling for your child’s session is layering and texture. Mix jeans with chunky knits or feathery soft sweaters. Layer patterned t-shirts with solid sweaters and fuzzy scarves. Mix soft knits with leather or suede. If you need help putting an outfit together give me a call and I would be happy to help you find the perfect outfit:)

Some great ideas for children’s clothing are as follows:

  • Brightly colored or white tops with jeans or jean skirts.
  • Jeans or Khaki pants with white button down shirts
  • Overalls with no shirt
  • Fuzzy sweaters
  • Ballet tutu alone or with a leotard (I have one tutu)
  • Colorful cute toques, hats and scarves
  • Hand knit / Handmade items or heirloom clothing
  • Any outfit that you adore

I LOVE bare feet and prefer to photograph kids and adults alike with no shoes and no socks, so please have your child’s toenails trimmed and clean! Toe jam is to be expected:) LOL

WHO

  • Children’s sessions can be for individual portraits or for a relationship series as well, with siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, best friends, pets etc. Please keep in mind that your gallery will only contain 24 images for a single session, and additional session fees of $15 per person may apply if there are more than 2 additional people (not immediate family) in your child’s session.


All images and text are © Natanis Davidsen - 2010