Need a little help photographing the one year old in your life (or a client)?
They’re full of wiggles and often ready to escape but with these tips you can capture them beautifully with your camera!
1. Don’t expect them to be all smiles and sunshine.
While one year olds are usually a riot, they can also be serious, silly, laughing, crying, and playing. They have a myriad of emotions and they wear them on their proverbial sleeve.
I don’t spend the whole session trying to get them to sit still (or stand still) and smile at the camera. I always try to get at least some smiling, looking, sitting still pictures, but during the session I also let them be the drama queens (or kings) that they are.
2. Let them play in their natural environment and be ready at every moment.
I spend most of a one year old sessions looking through my viewfinder. They are usually very busy (whether they are walking or crawling) and don’t look up at the camera very often, so when they do look up you have to be ready to capture whatever expression they are going to give you.
Usually if they are in their element, they are happier, sillier, and more like themselves then if you were forcing them to sit still.
3. If all else fails, capture their babyhood.
Sometimes the one year olds just don’t plain do not want to look up. They like to do whatever their little mind has in it.
During these times I photograph all their little baby cuteness. This could be their little toes, to their chubby arms. If they aren’t being cooperative with their face, at least you can capture their sweet profiles.
As a mom of three little ones (three, two, and three months), I realize how quickly they lose that tummy roll, and chubby hands and love pictures like that.
4. Learn how to make a good variety of weird noises.
Sometimes when you do want the attention of the tiny tot, it’s very useful to have some funny sounds on hand. You may feel silly squawking like a crow in front of the adult clients, but it really does work for babies to draw attention. However, they get very used to the same noise over and over so make sure you have an arsenal of silly sounds.
5. Get on their level (or even lower).
This is an old tip that is tried and true. I almost always am on my belly or back or leaning over to capture the little ones. I’m tall (5’10 to be exact) and if I would shoot from my vantage point, I would lose a certain sweetness in the photo.
We all see toddlers from a tall angle, so when you get down on the ground, it makes it more visually interesting. It catches the world from their short perspective.
Thanks so much for these tips! Even though I know that last tip, I still forget it… I'm over 6 feet tall, so I suppose I appear as a giant to little kids… :-p
LOVE these tips!!
haha to #4. So true and useful though! Or a stuffed animal to put on top of your head!
Really great tips : ) LOVE the pictures accompanying the post. So sweet.
I have a ten month old and have to keep a toy that makes noise around for getting his attention. Right now the current favorite is an Elmo 'chatters' character – now that he's mobile he will often try to crawl away to come and get him, but it was awesome when he was younger and couldn't crawl yet. Perfect for getting his attention and a HUGE smile! Thanks for these tips.
This comes at a perfect time as my lil one is getting ready to turn one next month and I'm gearing up to capture her cuteness!! Thank you!!
Love your advice and photos Jenna.
great tips, jenna! and stunning photos!
Thanks for this! Great advice!
this is SUCH a tough age for me!! love your tips, Jenna…and gorgeous images. I will admit that sometimes when mom tells me her one year old has started walking I panic just a bit inside!!
Thanks so much Jenna! It's nice to have the reminder on how to make sessions with little ones easier, especially #1!
This is great! I think I new most of them but it helps to be reminded. I have been scouting some locations in my area and it's generall just me and my 13 month old son. When we are done I am EXHAUSTED!!! It is impossible to get more than 1 or 2 good photos since I have to spend the majority of the time keeping him out of trouble!
I love your photo's, I think the 2nd anf 4th ones down are amazing. Great advice thank you
This is the exact style of photography that I would like to achieve! Awesome photographs!!
wouldnt u say its a little dangerous to let a 1 year old sit on the edge of a pier?
Hey Melissa! That absolutely would be dangerous! But just like in newborn photography when I do composites, here the mom was right beside (hence the close crop) and I was really low, up to my ankles in water. You definitely never want to put any child (or adult) at risk just to get a great shot.
What about the child running on the pier? I know what my 1 year old would do and I would NEVER let her on that pier or we'd be trying to save her from drowning. She has no fear.
Hey Lori!
I totally know what you mean. My baby would dive off the side just because she loves the water that much. On this image the mom was standing right beside her and I photoshopped her out. you can kind of see some leftover arm skin that I missed right by the front right pole.
It makes more work but I personally think its a cute shot.
Plus the water is only ankle deep right there but it still would cause some injuries if she would have fell.
Thanks!
Right now I’m taking Lisa Tichane’s breakout session for photographing toddlers & her additional resources suggested this post. I LOVE every single image in this session! I also really enjoyed how you used pictures from one single session to show each of your points. I have two little girls (2.5yrs & 11mos) & I will definitely be putting these tips to use, especially for my younger daughter’s first birthday pictures (which I’ll hopefully next week!). Thanks so much for the post!
how did you get that lighting?? especially in the fifth and third pictures?
With my 19 month old, fart noises are always a winner to get a great laugh or smile, oh childhood.