North Park Family Portraits: Staying Positive When Kiddos Won’t Smile

This darling family got out early on a Saturday morning in their bright whites, looking altogether adorable. And when this sweet girl wasn’t feeling it during the first attempts at a family portrait, mom and dad stayed positive. And that is so important in setting the tone for a session. We tried a few things to engage her and found something that worked!

She really liked playing the “who’s got your nose?” game. And we went with it. We were tossing noses back and forth and the kids were having fun. Sometimes she needed a break as all two-year olds do, so her dad turned her upside down and the giggles commenced.

And it’s worth mentioning that most kids go through phases where they are trickier to photograph and eventually come around to see that it is fun. They realize that the session will result in images of them and with that understanding they are curious about the end result. This older brother was really enjoying the photo shoot and was also so good about encouraging his sister.

So charming!

And here are some favorite shots of this little lady enjoying having her photo taken.

I love how she’s posing here. No one would know she didn’t feel like having her photo taken earlier.

To keep the fun going, mom brought a wagon and dad pulled them around.

When people ask me about props, I love incorporate functional things can make a session fun, like wagons, books, bubbles or balloons. This family portrait is that much more fun with the wagon!

This mama also brought a picnic blanket and it’s a good thing because the ground was really dewy that morning.

I love using back-lighting and overexposing for good detail on the faces of this family portrait. It’s the little things that can separate a photographer from an iphone!

These kiddos were so good and did such a great job, so we ended this session with some fun on the playground.

I just love seeing the joy on her face. Oh to be two again!