How To Get Your Kids Excited About a Family Shoot

You’ve booked your family shoot date with me (yay!), you’ve submitted the pre-shoot questionnaire (well done!), and now - out of nowhere - you’ve got the jitters.

What will you wear? How should you stand? How will the kids respond? What if they turn into little demons on the big day? 

Family photoshoots are nerve-wracking, to say the least. But they really don’t need to be. My foolproof advice? Wear something that you feel comfortable and confident in, don’t even think about how you’re going to stand or smile, and follow these 5 tips to get the kids excited about a family shoot.

#1 Create a positive narrative around the date 

Positivity, positivity, positivity. As a parent, the best way to get kids excited about anything is for you to create a positive build-up around it. Talk about the family shoot with enthusiasm and tell them that they’re going to have a chance to play with each other all day (and YOU!). Ask them to add the date to the family calendar - adding stickers / doodles around it will make it seem extra-special and exciting. I also recommend giving them a heads up a week or two in advance - this gives them the chance to ask questions and time to understand what a photoshoot entails. 

#2 Let them have some choices 

Can you imagine anything worse than your partner/mother/bestie waking you up and telling you that you have to squeeze into your most hated outfit - only to go spend hours in front of a camera? I can’t. And we’re pretty sure your kids (if they’re anything like mine) will hate it too. So, take it from me: let your children help choose their outfits. I know, I know, you’ve got a Pinterest board of clothing in your head - but this makes them feel part of the process, and gives them a sense of control of the day. You don’t have to open their cupboard and let them choose anything (because we all know you will end up with the entire Frozen/Superman cast in your shoot, and possibly an extra character in mismatching stripes). Just give them 1-3 outfits to choose from - and preferably do it before the big day. 

#3 Be excited, naturally

Show them how excited you are. If you’re stressing about what you’re going to wear, or rushing everyone in the morning to get ready, they’ll feed off your energy and easily get cranky. If you’re relaxed and genuinely looking forward to the shoot, there’s a better chance of them doing the same. If you’re worried about feeling rushed, wake up a little earlier and get yourself ready before helping the rest of the family. 

#4 Throw parenting out the window (just this once) 

Make the day FUN. Stop being a parent for just a few hours, and enjoy spending time with your children. Wake them up with a big bear hug, play some music during breakfast, give them their favourite cereal, and come to the shoot ready for a day of bonding (because that’s what photoshoots are all about!). If you start the day trying to get them to eat a fruit salad, brushing their hair with a little too much vigour, or making sure they complete all of their chores before you leave, you might be asking too much of them. Take a break, mama, and just go with the flow. 

#5 Bribery

I’ve saved the best ‘til last. While I usually don’t promote bribery, I’ve gotta admit: it works. Before going down the road of offering presents, though (which can make kiddos anxious to finish the shoot so that they can claim their prize), try telling them that they can choose one of their favourite photos to be printed. You can explain that it will be framed and added to their room, to make it extra-special. In most cases, they’ll take their ‘modelling’ skills a little more seriously if they know they’re going to benefit, too. When all else fails, though, there’s nothing wrong with bringing a couple of treats to throw at them like puppies. 

I know how scary it can be when your kids play up, but take it from me, it happens. If, even after implementing the above 5 tips, your child is still not keen for the shoot, don’t fret. I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve to make sure that you’ll still get some great photos. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

A Hong Kong Photographer Story: Meet Jenna Louise Potter

Hi! I’m Jenna, and I’m so excited to get to know you and capture your family’s special moments. But, before I start snapping away (because once I get snapping, I get snapping), let me tell you a bit about myself. 

As you already know, I’m a photographer based in Hong Kong. I’ve been living in this beautiful city for over 10 years, and I love it. It’s the city where I met my husband, where I found my passion for photography, and where I’ve had the opportunity to work with the most incredible people in the world. I am so grateful that I found my way to this magical ‘little’ island.

To go back a bit further, I was born and spent my first 5 years of life in a tiny town called Vryburg  in South Africa. (That’s fray-berg, for my non-South-African readers). We then moved to Durban, which is where I went to school and made most of my favourite childhood memories. I was so blessed to come from a gigantic family (I have 36 first cousins, guys!), and have always valued family more than anything. This, mixed with my attention to detail and my ability to find joy in the small things, is what I believe makes my photography unique. 

Speaking of family, I’d love you to meet mine. I’m a wife to Simon and a mom to Flossie (6), Alfie (3) and Vivi (1). I’m also a dog-mom to our rescue, Pepper. We adopted her as a puppy before Floss was born, so you could say that Pepper was actually our first child ;) 

As for my hobbies? I’m a traveller, a (serious) coffee-lover, and a regular Hong-Kong-Saturday-bruncher. While I was a full-time nanny, I was dabbling in all of the above, as well as enjoying photography part-time. My photography business grew, and I was able to turn my passion into a full-time job.

With this big career (and life!) change, it was high time to refresh my business’s look and feel. I wanted my new branding to capture the energy of Hong Kong, the warmth of family love, and the bright, happy moments I’ve been privileged to witness along my photography journey so far. 

Kim of Ruby & Swallow really *got* my vision, and I’m so proud to finally share what we’ve been working on for the past couple of months. Feel free to browse around my new website, check out my Instagram profile, or - of course - contact me if you’re interested in a family or lifestyle photoshoot in Hong Kong. I’d love to get to know you next!