Beach Photography & Why I Don’t Hate it Anymore.

We’ve all suffered the anxiety (unless I am the only lunatic parent out there) of an upcoming photo shoot with our kid. There are so many questions I ask in my head before I fork out the cash in exchange for an embarrassing hour of trying to make my kid act like they aren’t actually the spawn of Satan.

The biggest challenge for me is location. I tend to go for outdoor shoots because I feel like they will make my kid look more cultured and whimsical (god knows she would much rather get her pictures taken on the couch while watching Peppa Pig and eating a cheese string).

My daughters latest photo shoot was at the beach. Now this always went against my very strictest principles. Immediately when I think of a beach I think “BO-RING”. All beaches look the same to me. Water, sand and sky. And what can you possibly pressure your kid into doing that will make the photos look any different? In my eyes, you’ve seen one beach shoot, you’ve seen em all.

You can probably see where I am going with this.

I am lucky. I have had the same photographer (Tailgate Photography- Look her UP, yo!) has taken my photographs for everything since my wedding day almost 6 years ago. She knows me, knows my husband, my daughter.. hell, she even knows my dog! She let’s me throw my crazy ideas at her and we work together as a team to get the money shot that I “ooohhh & ahhhh” about every. single. time.

I still had little faith in the beach shoot. I tried coming up with all of these crazy ideas and props out of the ass! I felt like I needed all of this crap to actually make the shoot more interesting. Boy was I wrong.

We ended up arriving to the beach with a sheet, bubbles, a little wooden stool, a lantern and her guitar. And get this; we just let her play! Not so crazy right?! Well, I was so wrapped up in figuring out how I was going to make my daughter smile & pose that I forgot how completely adorable she is when she is just playing! And what better location to let a kid play than at the beach? Tons of space to run and a natural, beautiful backdrop. My daughter had so much fun which made me feel better as a mom. I wasn’t pressuring her to do certain things and it really saved the much anticipated nightmare that can be a photo shoot!

I guess what I saying here, is that if you are looking to pose a child and make them smile with a stupid hand puppet behind your photographers head, you are setting yourself up for an epic fail. Let them play! Hell, play WITH them! You will forget about the camera and so will your kid. And those are always the best photos.

Take a look at mine! They really speak for themselves!

Quick Hints:

Get to know your photographer.
Take your kids to a place where they can run around safely.
Don’t try to overly “pose” them. Guide them in a certain direction but too much instruction might make them frustrated and they will lose interest quick!
Bring a favorite toy (bubbles, musical instrument, etc.)
Have your pet join in on the fun!
Don’t be afraid to get dirty or for your kid to get dirty.
Pinterest! Pinterest! Pinterest!
Try something new and go someplace that you’ve doubted in the past. It worked for me!