Are you planning to have your child or children photographed? Have you hired a photographer, selected the perfect outfit, and have everything ready to go?

While all that planning is great, there’s one thing to remember – kids are unpredictable. If you don’t prepare your child for the upcoming experience, you may find the entire shoot stressful. The good news is, there are some tips you can use to ensure your photo shoot is fun and successful. Keep reading to learn what those tips are.

Choose Comfortable Clothing

If your child absolutely hates what you have selected for them to wear, it’s going to show in the pictures. Sometimes, this means eliminating the super-cute hair clip or the adorable bow tie that makes the perfect outfit. However, happy kids are going to result in better pictures.

Also, make sure you dress your child according to the weather. Make sure they won’t be too hot or too cold. It’s also a good idea to have all the clothing selected before the photo shoot to avoid adding even more stress to the day.

Feed Everyone and Bring Snacks

One of the hardest things you will ever do is to try and calm a hungry child down. This means you need to bring along plenty of snacks and make sure your child eats before the photography session. Make sure the snacks you bring are small and not messy.

Take Water

Even if the weather is nice, you need to have something for everyone to drink. This is going to make everything go smoother.

Let Your Kids Know About the Photo Shoot Ahead of Time

Make sure you give your children a heads up before the photo shoot arrives. Talk about what you are going to do and how much fun they will have. If your child is old enough, make sure you set the expectation of how they should behave while getting their picture taken.

Allow Your Children to Smile Naturally

This is a big one. Make sure you resist the urge to say things such as “give me a real smile,” or “don’t smile like that.” The best way for the photographer to capture a real smile is to make your child laugh or smile. Rather than telling them how they should try to look, focus on being silly and you’ll get more genuine expressions.

Rewards and Bribes

Bribing your kids is a great way to ensure your children behave properly during the photo shoot. Ice cream, toys, candy after the shoot – anything your child likes or wants can be an incentive to behave and cooperate during the photo shoot.

Getting the Pictures You Want

The best way to ensure your photo shoot is successful is by using the tips here. By doing so, you can feel confident that you are going to get the amazing pictures you want and are paying for. Remember, the photographer you choose matters too, so choose a good one.