Today, we are here to coach you on how to get the best smiles for your family portraits in 2023! We know many of our clients can relate to the struggle of getting those big, genuine, and natural smiles from your kids during a photo session. Since we just wrapped up our busiest portrait season yet, we thought this would be a good time to share our thoughts on making it a little easier in the new year! Enjoy some of our favorite outdoor family portraits in Knoxville, TN below.
All kids seem to reach a point where getting big happy natural smiles start to get a little trickier. This can really happen at all different ages. Remember when your child comes for a photo session, they may not feel completely at ease and maybe a little anxious or nervous. This can make relaxing and warming up to their photographer a challenge. Kids also begin feeling self-conscious at such a young age- younger than we may realize!
It is so normal to want to say things like “stop smiling like that”, “ that isn’t your good smile”, or “smile normal”. Every parent is guilty of saying one of those things at a photo session. If you pay close attention and watch your child’s face, those comments usually do the exact opposite of what we are trying to accomplish.
At your next photo shoot we challenge you to try approaching it from a viewpoint of positivity. Try saying things like:
“I am so happy that I am your mommy!”
“You look so beautiful!”
“You have the best smile!!”
“I love you so much!”
“You are doing so good at following directions!”
“ I can’t wait to show grandma!”
As you begin saying encouraging comments to your child, watch as her/his little face will light up and you will see those sweet, precious smiles that you are so desperate to capture on camera! It really is about making it fun.
We never want your child to leave a photo session feeling like they didn’t do a “good” job. Every child is different, and we want every child to leave feeling like Miss Megan and Miss Rebekah can’t wait to see them next time! We are excited to capture the best smiles we can for your next family portraits!
