Is My Child Too Young for Better Than School Portraits Fine Art Mini Sessions
If your child is younger than three and has never been to preschool or daycare, they may be too young for Better Than School Portraits, fine art school portrait mini sessions. My goal as a Kirkland, WA boutique school portrait photographer is always to get natural, relaxed, and genuine expressions, and I know that is what your mamma heart is looking for too! While it may be your desire to have matching portraits of all your children, please consider whether your youngest is old enough and confident enough for this type of session.
Which children may not be the right fit for Better THan school portraits?
Because every child is different and unique it is not easy to draw a hard line based on age. However, if your child often clings to your leg in new places, is not old enough to sit or stand unassisted, or generally is wary of new environments then Better Than School Portraits may not be the right fit. These sessions are short but sweet mini sessions, so there is not a lot of time for children to warm up to a stranger. When you arrive, I can start with older siblings to allow younger ones time to acclimate. However, when it is their turn they will need to sit or stand in front of my black backdrop with parents out of the frame. This can be overwhelming to the youngest of the young.
Things to consider
Your child will need to sit or stand unassisted in front of a backdrop. While it is okay for you to sit or kneel just out of the frame, these sessions do not include extensive editing to clone out parents’ arms, hands, or legs. If you would like to be at arm’s length to help assist a new sitter from falling backwards, be sure to wear all black to keep retouching at a minimum.
Sessions are short, sweet, and only five minutes long. While your youngest is welcome to watch their older siblings go first, at some point it will be their turn in the “hot seat”. I will do my best to engage with them, welcome them to stand on my “funny sticker”, and draw them in with my camera monkey or puppet, however, if a child is still shy and reluctant to participate I can not force them to do so.
Pensive portraits can be just as meaningful as a smile. If you love a straight, pensive expression and are willing to forego big belly laughs, I’m more than happy to try to photograph your toddler! Please keep in mind that the youngest of children are not always themselves when in a new environment. Why is mom placing me on this black fabric and asking me to stand in front of a stranger? Why can’t dad hold me? Why do I have to stand or sit in one place? Where am I??! These could all be questions going through your child’s head, and if so, they may stare blankly, look confused or simply not be cognizant enough to give those big gummy smiles you were hoping for.
Helpful tips
If you would like to go ahead and book a session for your toddler, remember these images will be treasured years from now whether your child is smiling or not. We can still capture their expressive eyes, barely-there hair, and chubby cheeks (and possibly that family resemblance to Grandma Jane or Uncle John!).
As mentioned above, if a parent will be needed to assist, please wear black. This will help your arms and legs blend into the background and cut down on post processing/editing.
If your child will be photographed individually, they need to be able to sit on their own (your arm can be hidden in back to hold them up if they are unsteady) or stand in place.
For sibling portraits, it is helpful if an older child can hold your baby.
Sessions are quick! I can capture a lot of images and angles in only a few minutes. This ensures if your child becomes upset, they are not in distress for long! Like children on Santa’s lap, those crying pictures can be cute, but it is not fair to them to carry on more than a minute to two.
