We love taking family pictures and over the years we’ve taken thousands of photos of our kids, our family adventures and all those little everyday moments we don’t want to forget. But getting truly great photos with a busy toddler is a whole different challenge. These tips for family photos with a toddler are based on what we learned from our own family photoshoot in Rome with a toddler, along with expert advice from the photographers who captured some of our favourite family photos.
During our trip to Rome with a toddler, we were lucky enough to spend a day with Jake and Dannie, two talented family photographers who knew exactly how to work with young children. Instead of forcing stiff poses or expecting our toddler to stand still and smile on command, they made the session feel relaxed, playful and natural. The family photos from that day are featured throughout this post, and they remain some of our most treasured travel memories.
After seeing how well they handled our kids and how beautifully the photos turned out, we asked Jake to share his best advice for other parents planning family photos with a toddler. His tips are practical, realistic and especially helpful if you’re hoping to capture beautiful family photos while travelling, without making the whole experience stressful for your little one.
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6 Expert Tips for Family Photos with a Toddler
As parents and professional photographers, we know that toddlers can throw a wrench into family photo sessions. There’s no magic formula to guarantee that everything goes well on a photo shoot (with or without a toddler). But if you prepare yourself mentally and physically, you can improve the odds that your family will have fun and your photographer will capture better family photos with your toddler.
1. Have an Early Family Photo Session
If you ask a professional photographer about the best time for a family photo shoot, they will always tell you that the morning or the evening is the best time for family photos because they want that golden hour light.
For the best family photo shoots, opt for the morning! Children, especially toddlers, are more alert in the morning and you will get better behavior if they aren’t feeling sleepy yet. We’ve done plenty of sunrise and sunset family photo sessions with our own daughter and with the children of our clients, and we can say unequivocally that we capture more smiles in the morning.
If you are taking your family photos during the summer months, it is best to get the family photo shoot wrapped up before noon. In the summer, when the sun gets high, you’ll suddenly need to deal with harsh shadows and shiny, sweaty skin. Plan your family photo session early in the day and your family will look and feel better in your pictures.
There can also be a dramatic difference in the crowds, especially if you choose to have your family photo shoot at a popular landmark or attraction. Few tourists mind staying up until sunset to explore a city, but many will balk at the thought of getting up early on vacation. Get up early for your family photo session and you’ll enjoy having the city to yourselves! Just don’t skip breakfast.
2. Dress your Toddler in Layers and Bring Extras
It’s always hard to count on the weather when taking family pictures, especially if you follow the first tip and take your photos in the morning. It might be cool when you start your family photo session, but then it’ll warm up quickly as the sun gets higher.
And as every toddler parent knows, little kids get dirty. Bring extra clothes for your family photo shoot, and you won’t need to stress about your toddler getting dirty. You’ll get better family photos when your toddler is having fun, so let them play without worrying about their clothes getting dirty. Your family photos will benefit too!
As an added bonus, adding and removing layers can add a little variety into your family photo shoot and keep it from looking monotonous. With a change of clothing on hand, you can go ahead and get that cute ice cream shot without worrying too much about trying to hide a big stain for the rest of the hour!
3. Bring Toys and Snacks for Your Toddler
A lot of the best toddler photos capture little ones following wherever their curious hearts take them. Sometimes, however, you’re going to want them to interact with you. What’s a family photo without the rest of the family, after all? It helps to pack a little something to keep their attention.
An ideal lure is something they are familiar with that you know they will like (a toy or a favorite snack) and small enough that Mom or Dad can palm it or stick it in their pocket. Even if your toddler is old enough to cooperate without bribery, it helps to bring snacks just to keep them from getting hungry and grouchy.
Remember, toddlers don’t “get” photo shoots, so it’s nice to reward them with something they enjoy.
4. Plan for Your Toddler’s Unique Personality
You know the things your toddler enjoys most, so plan to capture pictures of your kid showcasing their personality. If your toddler loves castles, dress them up and have your family photo shoot at a castle (or anything that their imagination will think is a “castle”).
If you have an animal lover, maybe take your family photo session to a park with a duck pond. In other words, if you want photos of your family having the time of your lives, make sure your toddler is having the time of their life.
Professional photographers have tricks for getting toddlers to look at the camera, but after one or two shots like that, you’re going to want to see some excitement in those little eyes. On the way to your family photo shoot, talk about the photo shoot, but also about the fun activities your kids will look forward to.
5. Be Happy During Your Family Photo Session
One of the most important tips for family photos with a toddler is to keep the mood light. It’s so easy to get angry or frustrated during a family photo shoot. You know the drill… you got up early, did your makeup and got the whole family dressed up. Then your toddler throws a temper tantrum because you won’t let them roll around in a puddle… Try really hard to stay calm. Your toddler can sense your mood, and they will react to it.
Be prepared to keep a positive attitude and adjust to the situation. Instead of getting frustrated about the problem, get excited about something else. Your toddler will get excited too.
We’re always amazed by how many problems can be solved by rolling a ball or singing a song. Your toddler’s short attention span might be annoying when you want to sit down and read a book, but it just might save your family photo shoot!
6. Let Them See Your Family Photos
Almost every kid is surprisingly camera aware, and they love it when they get to see the pictures on the back of the camera. Ask your photographer to show your toddler a few pictures and tell them what a good job they are doing. You never know, you might just have given birth to a natural performer!
Should You Hire a Photographer While Travelling with a Toddler?
Getting professional family photos during our family vacations was never really something we had considered. It’s not that we were opposed to hiring a professional photographer, we just hadn’t thought of it.
We have a decent camera and have always enlisted the help of fellow tourists to take pictures of the whole family. In all honesty, we have been content with having the majority of our family pictures be of the kids or just one parent. Then we met Jake and Dannie…
We had been long-time followers of Jake and Dannie on Instagram and by sheer luck we ended up on family vacation in Rome at the same time. We contacted them with the intention of meeting up to let our kids play together and to enjoy the company of another travelling family.
They were gracious enough to offer to take a few family pictures of us before we headed out on our adventure for the day. Of course, we accepted! After seeing their beautiful family pictures on Instagram, nobody in their right mind would turn down that offer.
The pictures they took of this day are not only some of the best family photos we have but we feel they are so representative of us and our passion for active travel.
Comparing our typical family photographs to the ones Jake took, the quality difference is remarkable. If you have the time and means, we highly recommend hiring a professional photographer for your next family photo shoot with a toddler.
Since our family photo session in Rome, we have also hired a photographer for our family trip to Cabo. Closer to home, we have booked a local photographer through Flytographer for family photo shoots around our home near Banff National Park (shown below).
Where can you find a professional photographer for your next family photo shoot? Flytographer makes it easy to book talented local photographers in over 350 destinations around the world.
Family Photoshoot
A family photoshoot is an excellent way to preserve memories from your trip! Get $25 off your first Flytographer photo shoot.
We hope Jake’s tips for family photos with a toddler help you capture some truly remarkable pictures of your kids!
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This post was written & edited by:
Celine Brewer is the owner of Baby Can Travel. Not only does she have years of experience traveling with babies & toddlers, but she's helped millions of new parents travel with their babies and toddlers for over a decade. In addition to writing on her baby travel blog, she has shared her expertise on traveling with a baby or toddler by contributing to articles about traveling with a baby with the Washington Post, USA Today, the Lonely Planet magazine and Pregnancy & Newborn magazine.
Celine also writes about family travel on the site FamilyCanTravel.com, which she co-owns with her husband. Being from the Canadian Rockies, she shares her passion about her home and travel to Banff National Park and area on their site TravelBanffCanada.com.