Lesia Style: How to take photos with a child

I have a five-year-old and during these 5 years I went from taking as many photos of her as my heart desires (because she was a baby) to sure mom, I can smile for you and you can take a few cute photos before I will run away (majority of the photos were a blur) to I hate photos! The recent statement was I'm not a fashionista like you and I don't want to take photos! Sure, I respect my daughter's wishes and if you are following me on social media you noticed a decrease in posts with her, but either we needed photos for the holiday card or collaboration I worked on or updating our families that live far away I needed to take her photos. So today I decided to share a couple of tricks that worked for me and hopefully they will work for you as well.

1. Prepare ahead of time. Outfits have to be ironed the day before your shoot, prepare accessories you and your child will be wearing. If it's possible you can even pack everything you will need, so on the day of the shoot, you are not running around and stressing yourself and your child. Think of a couple scenarios that might go wrong: will forget a hair tie, so pack a few extras; the child will spill a water/juice on themselves on the way, so bring an extra outfit.

2. Stay calm. If you are calm and happy, that energy will transfer to your child.

3. Promise a reward. If your child wants a new toy or a special place to visit, tell them that after the photoshoot you will do that for them. If your child doesn't smile in photos and you want to capture their genuine happy reaction bring a new toy with you to a photoshoot and let your child open it in front of the camera. Or while the photographer shoots, pull out the toy and let them see it. Of course, it has to be talked about with the photographer prior because they will only have a couple seconds to capture their reaction. After that, the child will want to play with the toy and have nothing to do with a shoot.

4.Go with a flow. Sometimes we create in our heads the final photo and while we want to stay on track it can backfire. Meaning if you thought of a cute pose and it feels awkward most likely it will look awkward on the photos so try to do something else, ask for a photographer's help if you are running blank.

5. Props. Sometimes kids don't like to look at the camera, so it's a good idea to bring a book, a stuffed animal that they can look at. Flowers are also a good idea because they can hold them and smell them. If you are taking photos with them ask them to look into your eyes, that way they will feel more at ease and photos will look more natural.

6. Be silly. Ask kids to make silly faces for the camera, which will make them feel more relaxed and happy. If those are not the photos you are looking for, after a few silly shots, ask them to be serious, and don't forget to mention to your photographer that you don't want silly faces photos. However in my expertise sometimes those look better than expected.

7. Establish a connection. If you are meeting a new photographer and shooting with them for the first time ask if you can arrive 5-10 min earlier so you can properly meet them and your child can get used to them. When I tell my daughter we are meeting someone new, her first words are "but I'm shy" and it's lying on my shoulders to make her comfortable in any situation.