Tips to help prepare your shy child for a family photo session
I know many families can worry that their children are too shy or “clingy” to attempt to do family photos. But please trust me when I say that we can still have an incredible photoshoot together, even if your child is extremely shy & sensitive & takes forever to warm up to new people. In fact, sometimes shy kids are actually easier during family photoshoots than their extroverted peers, because all they want to do is be attached to mum or dad - which makes for beautiful connected, loved up photos.
In saying that, I know that whenever my children are feeling particularly shy or nervous, it really helps to be able to prepare for what is going to happen. So I wanted to share a few tips that might help set your shy children up for a successful family photoshoot -
NO PRESSURE
This goes for all kids really, but particularly shy / worried kids! Avoid putting any pressure on them in the lead up to the shoot to “behave” or “ do as they're told” . This immediately makes the session sound like something that they need to be worried about rather than feel excited for! Frame it to them as a special family outing that you guys get to do together, which is a good segue to my next point -
SENSE OF CONTROL
Let your kids come up with ideas for what you want to do during the photoshoot together. Maybe you want to bring along a picnic rug & book and read together? Or perhaps they love riding on your shoulders but they don’t get to do it very often so that could be a special activity you’ll let them do during the session ? Perhaps they literally just want you to hold them the entire time - and that’s OK!!! Give them control over how the session goes and what we do and they are much more likely to be excited by it
Don’t be scared of me - I’m super silly & promise we’ll have lots of fun together!
TELL THEM ABOUT ME.
Let them know my name (Hi 👋, I’m Jess!), show them what I look like (👉), tell them that i'm super friendly & suuuuuuuper silly & have little kids of my own that get nervous when they're meeting new people too, so I totally get it! Also tell them that I love Encanto, playing uno and guess who, digging sandcastles on the beach & swimming in the ocean, my favourite animal is a gorilla & I have a pet dog named Evie!
TELL ME ABOUT THEM!
I send all of my clients a questionnaire prior to their session. The more information & detail you can go into in that questionnaire about the types of things your kids love / things that make them laugh / things they DON’T like etc, the easier it will be for me to build rapport with them, so it’s really really worthwhile to spend 5-10 minutes completing that prior to your shoot!
TELL THEM ABOUT WHY YOU’RE DOING A FAMILY SESSION IN THE FIRST PLACE
I tend to find that shy kids are often quite sensitive little souls too and they might really connect with the reasons WHY you’re having a photoshoot.
Talk to them about how every year they get bigger and bigger and how special it will be for you all to have photos to look back on when they’re no longer this small.
Tell them how you want to create a really special family memory book so that you can always look through the photos together. My kids absolutely LOVE looking through all of our family photo albums. There’s actually been studies done that show how a child’s self esteem and sense of belonging can be improved just from having family photographs displayed around their home! Cool hey!?
COMFORT ITEMS
If you are having the session outdoors, let them pick a couple of things to bring from home to cuddle / play with - this comes in handy if they're feeling upset at any point during the shoot too
CONSIDER THE LOCATION
If your child gets a bit overwhelmed at the beach or outdoors, perhaps consider having an in home session where they get to be in their own safe & familiar space. On the flip side, perhaps a change of scenery and going to the beach or park is a welcome distraction for your child and takes their mind off the fact they were feeling shy a minute ago about being around a new person? Every child is different, and you know your child best as to which location they would likely feel more comfortable!
And finally, just for your own peace of mind, please rest assured that my number one goal is to make sure your session is as stress free and relaxed as possible. I'll never rush or force your children to do anything they don't want to and will always follow your lead. If you have ANY questions at all about booking your own family session, or want to chat through any concerns you might have about doing this, please feel free to get in touch!