Links Mentioned: Free Class | 60 Posing Prompts | More Free Resources

Posing little ones isn’t every photographer’s “cup of tea”. I on the other hand absolutely love sessions with kids. Especially toddlers! I’ve also learned a few tricks of the trade and today I’ll be sharing my favorite go-to posing tips for young families!

Now, if you know posing is one of your weakest links or you tend to stall in order to decide what pose to do next, I have a FREE class for you! It’s called “5 Keys to Effective Family Posing: Goodbye Awkward & Stiff!” and it is loaded with content. I just released it earlier this year and had incredible feedback so I know you’ll benefit from it. Posing is a foundational base for a successful photography career, so jump in the class and start laying that foundation! Now on to posing tips for young families…

Always Pose the Whole Family First

I start my sessions by posing the entire family together first for a few reasons. It helps get everyone warmed up. Especially if I am new to them this doesn’t single anyone out, instead everyone joins in on this new experience together. This also allows little ones to see how to pose for a picture. They are much more likely to get comfortable in front of a camera if mom and dad or siblings are too! When you’ve got shy kiddos you don’t want to put all the pressure on them. Posing the family together acts as a safety net and they can begin to trust me taking their photos.

Use a Posing Workflow

This is basically a list of shots you’re going to get with different poses! And *bonus* you get my personal posing workflow in the free class I talked about earlier. Stick around until after the Q&A and you’ll receive it for free! A posing workflow helps you utilize your time efficiently and get the poses you need. When it comes to little kids, moving them around costs you a lot of time. In my posing workflow I have minimal movement for the kids but still get all the variations of posing needed. Kids have short attention spans so the least amount of distractions is key!

Use Posing Prompts

These are gold! Clients don’t usually have a list of all the poses and variations they want. Or if they do, they don’t know how to make that happen. Enter posing prompts! These help give instruction to your families and guides them from one thing to the next. They are specific instructions that create authentic moments and often produce candid moments! A lot of times kids don’t want to stand there and smile, but telling them to have a tickle fight or run as fast as they can to mom and dad is something they’ll willingly do. The goal is to create a space that’s fun and invites everyone to participate in.

Bribes

Let me first say, I don’t bring the bribes. I suggest families to bring some of their own! This way it’s guaranteed to be something they like. I also suggest “clean” bribes like marshmallows or gummies. Now if the kids don’t need bribes then great, don’t use them! But, if you need them after the first family pose you have them! Kids will do a lot for a reward so use them to your advantage!