Family portraits with two babies & two Labradors
Babies and dogs are my favourite combination of photography subjects. It’s guaranteed to be a massive challenge, but lots of fun in the process and when there’s more than one great shot, my clients are always impressed LOL.
This is Odin, part time pirate, full time clown and the unluckiest Labrador in Johannesburg. Not only is he missing an eye (accident #1), he’s got four additional emergency surgeries to his name. I suspect there’s a vet driving around town in a nice Porsche thanks to Odin.
Bella made sure the girls were well looked after throughout the shoot. If she’s not in one of the shots you see here it’s because she momentarily exited stage left or I’ve cropped her out. If awards were given out for photobombing, she’s definitely be a winner.
Getting natural smiles from this little lady took some serious energy (I think there was an interpretive dance going on behind me). Small humans of two years old and up usually have a ‘cheese’ smile perfected which isn’t quite what’s desired during a family shoot. Getting a proper smile requires something that’s really funny.
Clearly we weren’t amusing enough here.
There’s quite a bit to juggle with a family shoot like this. Small people don’t have very long attention spans, dogs run off (thankfully not far on this occasion) and it takes quite a bit of energy all round to keep the natural smiles and fun on the go.
Sometimes pensive is also very sweet.
I was assured that this little person smiles all the time at home 😉
Sitting with Granny and Grandpa did the trick.
If you’re thinking about booking a shoot with multiple children and dogs, here are a few tips:
- Time the shoot around naps – either early in the morning waaaay before a nap or straight after an afternoon nap. It’s absolutely pointless trying to get children who are tired or hungry to cooperate.
- Bring snacks along for kids and dogs.
- Have some friends or family come along who can help – we had grandparents in some of the shots and helping entertain kids & dog wrangle behind the scenes.
- Prep kids about what to expect beforehand so they are excited to have their photos taken.
- Be patient. Our littlest model was quite overwhelmed by all the attention I think which kept the smiles at bay.
- Outdoor shoots are much better for small children, they have space to explore and take a break in between shots so the experience is also fun.
- Don’t expect to go much over 90 minutes with kids, they get bored quickly. I work as efficiently as possible during family shoots to maximise the time before any frustration sets in (for big or small people).
I’d love to chat to you about photographing your family. Please contact me here and I’ll be in touch with pricing, packages & availability.