I had the pleasure to celebrate Serena’s first year of life with her and her mom, Allison

7 Tips on How to Photograph a 1 Year Old

1) HAVE THE MOM OR DAD NEAR BY.

Capture memories by having the parent in the pictures to catch how the child and the parent interact. Also, take pictures of the toddler with the parent near-by. Having the parent near, off to the side or behind the camera will help direct the toddler’s attention and help the toddler be in their comfort level. The parent is the best entertainer because they know the toddler. In the picture below the mom was off to the side waving Serena’s stuffed Tiger.

2) HAVE THE PARENT BRING PROPS.

Besides having an awesome mom in this photo session, the props helped a lot. The prop selection depends on the gender and the personality of the child. Here are the some ideas to get your wheels turning: mirror, favorite toys, snack, ball, balloons, flowers, hat, sunglasses, tutu, chalk sign, sidewalk chalk, glitter, books, bubbles, blanket and/or a momento.

3) MAKE SURE TO MOVE AROUND A LOT.

In this photo session I used a 50mm 1.4 prime lens. I wasn’t afraid to get dirty and move around a lot. Many times during this photo session I got on the toddler’s eye level. To get the toddler to face me I would change my position and quickly walk to another angle. This got the the toddler’s attention.

4) GIVE THE PARENT AND CHILD ACTIONS.

I directed the mom to do certain actions which allowed me to capture the raw personalities of the mom and daughter.

HERE IS A LIST OF 4 MUST-HAVE POSES FOR A MOTHER-DAUGHTER PORTRAIT SESSION:

– piggy back ride

-spin the child round-and-round

-read them a book

-tickle

5) FOCUS ON THEIR BABY FEATURES.

The fastest growth period is the first year of a person’s life. The chubby hands and tiny feet disappear in the blink-of-an-eye. Capture those moments: hands, feet and eyes.

6) CHANGE THE SCENERY.

A toddler has a short attention span so it is helpful to take breaks (a clothes change) and/or change of scenery. The picture below was taken on a boat dock. We were sweetly granted 5 minutes to take pictures on the gated docks. The perfect time period for a toddler’s attention span.

7) HAVE FUN. WORK ON THE CHILD’S TIME.

When you work at the child’s pace you get photos you wouldn’t normally capture. The picture below I was thinking about a pose and Serena was just being herself and wandering around.

Serena was getting over having her pictures taken 30 minutes into the session so I thought it was the perfect time for a wardrobe change and rest.

Going from one scene to the other, Serena insisted that she walk and climb the steps. I am glad I captured this moment. 

This was not only my first one year old photography session but my first photography session ever (not with a close friend). It was truly a blessing to capture the interactions between a mother and daughter and Serena’s first year of life.

Resource: aprilmaura.com