The Magic of the Toddler Session!
Someone asked me once what my favorite type of session is. This was a couple of years ago and I honestly did not have a firm answer at the time. I’ve done all types of sessions from portrait, senior, maternity, events, weddings, engagements, products, commercial, fitness, hospital delivery, landscape, etc. I want to answer that question again after some time and reflection.
Lately I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands. Not only is there a worldwide pandemic but I also had back surgery that required 6 weeks of recovery. I couldn’t do photo sessions even if I was allowed to right now! I’ve been scrolling through my portfolio and have noticed a pattern. My absolute favorite pictures are of the little ones I’ve captured over the years. While every single session I do is special to me in its own unique way I wanted to spend some time reflecting on what makes sessions with toddlers hold a special place in my heart.
I know that I am biased being a father of two very active boys. They are the reason I picked up my first DSLR and started learning my craft in the first place. It was to capture the precious moments in my family that only come around once. Photography captured my heart and now it is something I love to do! I wanted to write today about why I love these infant and toddler sessions so much!
There is something very pure about children. If you’ve ever tried to pose your child for a photo to post to your social media account I am sure you’ve encountered the very fake, cheesy smile or the temper tantrum that shortly follows. That's because children are very bad at being someone who they are not! This is sometimes an embarrassing thing for us as parents in public but it is also the gold that photographers can harvest to capture precious moments that you will cherish forever.
I do not like canned, posed shots. If I do not capture the personality of the person behind the lens I feel like I have failed as a photographer. There are a lot of technical aspects in photography like ISO, shutter speed, aperture, lighting, focal length and white balance just to name a few. None of those things matter if the emotion and personality isn’t clear in the photo.
When I photograph children I go about things a little differently. Usually, I scout the location beforehand and have specific areas that I know I will pose clients to get that perfect image I’ve been dreaming about in my mind. You can do that with adults and teenagers. If you have toddlers you know adults (usually) have more patience.
However, unlike adults toddlers have a sense of wonder and amazement with their surroundings. Usually the location of the photo shoot is somewhere they’ve never been before. Toddlers are very curious and interact with the environment in such a natural way. It is in those moments that you are able to capture the personality and emotion of the little ones. The results are an amazing picture that you never would have dreamed of. It becomes almost magical!
I want to encourage you that if you have not had a session with your little ones definitely do it! Family pictures make the perfect gift for those you love and those who love you the most.