What if my kid cries during our family session? | Alexandria, VA Family Photographer

What happens if my kid cries or has a meltdown during our session? That is the number one thing I hear from you. Add to that: what happens if my kid just cries the whole session? How do you handle it? How will my pictures come out? List all the concerns in your head and I’ve heard it. As a busy mom in Northern Virginia, I totally understand.
During a Fall 2020 session with a family of 4 I had this exact experience. I had met this sweet family in Fall 2019 and the baby girl (now a small toddler) was not a happy camper. She cried when I looked her way and was generally upset with me being around. Add the pandemic to our session in Fall 2020 and she had even more stranger danger. I assure you, because mom assured me, that she was safe and fine. Mom said she does this to almost anyone who is not in her immediate family – poor, sweet girl. But there are 3 things that I think made this session a success.

1. Mom and Dad were relaxed.
Because they deal with these sad tears often, they didn’t fret about it during the session. Mom just kept on smiling and telling me she was fine. I tried everything in my power to not make her cry more! This was the same mom who “won” my Chillest Mom Award. Because the parents were chill, the toddler fed off that energy and was happy and cheerful – we didn’t need TWO unhappy kids! Their calm manner also kept me calm and composed so I could continue to focus on capturing their family.

2. We took advantage of the few moments she wasn’t crying.
There was about 10 minutes during our 60 minute session where she wasn’t crying or upset. I clicked the shutter like crazy! I wanted to be sure their gallery had as many photos as possible with their little girl and her adorable face. For the times she was crying I simply turned her around to be cuddled by a parent.

3. I focused on moments that didn’t show her tears.
At the end of the session, mom cuddled her close and they looked at the setting sun together. I don’t recall if she was crying or not, but from the back it was a great picture of the two of them! And to top it off, they were celebrating baby No. 3 and using this photo for an announcement. We got it all accomplished during this session and they were so happy with their gallery!