Tuesday Tips & Tricks: How to Pose Your Toddler

{Charleston, SC Children’s Photographer}

The toddler stage is one of the most adorable phases of life, but getting your child to pose, let alone LOOK at the camera, can be a challenge!  The next time you want to take some great photos of your toddler, try these simple tips to make it a more successful activity.  Here are my five top tips on how to pose your toddler:

1) Set your expectations LOW and BREATHE.  When your child senses your stress and anxiety, they respond accordingly.  Relax and try to let the fun just evolve without trying to control too much.  It’s just a picture!

2) Try creating boundaries.  Have your child sit on a chair, in a swing, on the bed.  When they have a so-called boundary, they are more likely to stay longer than if you just set them down on the lawn (and by longer, I mean mere SECONDS).  I actually love to have them lay on the ground and look up at me while I shoot them from above.

3) You can incorporate attention-getting noises (fake sneezes, whoopee cushion, kazoo, animal sounds) to get them to glance in your direction, but be cautioned that this typically only works a few times before they catch on to you.

4) Give them a “job”.  Tell them it’s a dance party.  Let them blow dandelions or bubbles.  Give them a toy car or airplane to zoom around.  Ask them to give kisses to their favorite stuffed animal or baby doll.  The last thing a toddler wants to do is just sit there.  They may not be looking directly at the camera, but these genuinely sweet moments are adorable, too.  And the bonus is, if you make it FUN for them, they’re more likely to enjoy having their pictures taken the next time.  For really little ones, I will sometimes sit them down and stick a piece of clear tape or little sticker on a finger – they’ll sit still for a minute and try to peel it off.

5) Have fun with them!  They are only little once, and the truth is that little ones RARELY enjoy sitting still for any reason.  Capture the real moments of toddlerhood so that when you look back on those moments years from now, you’ll have a good laugh!