If you are like me, you have countless photos of your kids when they were infants and toddlers, doing cute things, looking at you with adorable grins, playing with their favorite toys, going places and even getting into a whole lot of trouble. You may have even scheduled regular professional photo sessions when they were young.  They were so cute and so busy!  

As they grow older, they tend to become slightly less tolerant of us, as parents, stopping their lives to snap photos of them.  But they grow and change so quickly throughout those middle years.  I see my own kids morphing into little people right before my eyes so quickly that I seem to forget what they looked like or what they were into just months before.  

They deserve to be captured at all ages and stages!  Don't let them look back and wonder why they only have selfies taken on their smart phones between the ages of 10 to 16, or why they seem to have no parents because you aren't in any photos!  Take those candid photos, do it often, and then get in the frame with them.  You'll be happy you did.  

Scheduling a family session with older children may also stress you out or have you feeling like they will just look awkward or miserable (we are talking about tweens and teens, after all!). So here are some things to keep in mind when photographing older children.  These things help everyone to have an enjoyable experience and you get beautifully real photos of your entire family.

Older Kids Like to Have Fun and Be Silly, Too!

Asking kids to play a silly game, tell funny stories about each other, tell corny jokes, and run circles around their parents are all pretty sure-fire ways to capturing genuine emotion and natural movement.  Your family just may have some fun and learn a little bit about each other in the process.

Don't Ask Them to Smile

Asking older kids to smile and look at the camera often produces unnatural or forced looks.  Instead, I get them talking about themselves and get them to interact with their family.  I always have the family fill out a questionnaire telling me a little bit about each family member before we meet.  This way I get to know what each person is interested in and can easily get them to connect with each other and chat with me.  When they feel comfortable and are having fun, it's easy to capture their true personalities.  

Let Them Lead

One of my favorite things to do is find an open area with great lighting and ask them what they want to do or just watch and see what unfolds!  Kids love to feel like they are in charge and have a say in how things happen.  They have great ideas, too!

I loved watching these sweet sisters interact with their parents and with eacother during their family session.  They played games, told stories, and gave each other piggy back rides- their idea, of course!

Contact me today to chat about booking your fun, relaxed, and genuine family session at www.amyliehr.com or email me at [email protected].