All you really want is a cute picture of your kid, preferable smiling. Sounds simple right? 😉

We’ve all been there. Whether it’s with your cell phone or a real camera it usually involves some bribery, a melt down or 10 and a roll of blurry unsatisfactory images, one or more unhappy kiddos and you’re speed dialing pizza and a glass of wine. It was supposed to be so easy!

 

I’m going to share a few tricks I use to get kid’s best side, even my own!

 

#1. Be prepared. The most common thing I overhear when out about and I see parents who see a cute photo op and are trying to get their kids to pose is:

Parent: “Kid A, stop and smile! Look at me! Wait, just a second.” And then the toddler has already done what it does, which is toddle off and the parent has lost the moment.

If you see a moment coming up, get your camera out, turned on, app ready, and then – get your child’s attention. You want to catch their sweet face at that moment they look at you, not 3 seconds after you called them because oh so much can change in 3 seconds – amiright?

#2. Be prepared to act silly.

If your boss commands you sternly to work harder, or your gym instructor barks at you to do one more rep – you probably will comply but not with a ton of enthusiasm. But if you’re having a company wide competition and you receive recognition for coming in first place – winning at work becomes fun. In the same way, if you’re yelling at your kid to smile, we’re more likely to get a grimace or straight out turn and run as fast as possible to the play ground. Make silly noises (Fart sounds are usually a winner), bust out their favorite song or Netflix jingle, play peek a boo. This is also helpful for family sessions, more than one family has brought along an extra family member to provide the entertainment that gets their little to smile like a pro.

Something else that works well is get your kids to participate in activity: Dance for me, twirl around, show me that flower, touch your sister’s nose, give your mom a squeeze. Whatever you can do to get them distracted  from the fact that you are asking them to do the world’s most boring thing: stand in one place and smile at the camera. 😉

#3. Anticipate the frustration

Accept the fact that your little humans are quick, and your photos may be blurry. They may not feel like smiling for your picture today – or any day for the rest of their twonager years. 😉 Embrace the reality that their clothes may not stay clean and they might squeeze their little brothers neck until he protests. Kids are messy and unpredictable. Take a deep breath and try again or try again tomorrow.

#4. Appreciate the photo for what it is

Our kids change so quickly and it’s easy to get sucked into this moment and not appreciate that it’s a quick moment in time. All those pictures that we can get so wound up over, will be endearing when they are grown. Or even later tonight when they’re asleep quietly and your scrolling your phone and the parental haze has set in. 

#5. Enjoy the privilege of technology

Wow – what day and age we live in. Take a bad photo? Know instantly and delete it forever. Capture a keeper? Send it to all of your social network or text it to Grandma 5 states away. It’s pretty incredible the heritage of photos our kids get to keep. Take lots of photos. GET IN YOUR PHOTOS – your kids will thank you. Your grandkids will thank you. Don’t edit yourself out of your kids memories. And make sure to print some because whatever format you’re using today – will be obsolete someday and probably someday soon.

 

Thanks for reading! Now take some fabulous pictures of your humans!