My Kiddos | St. Louis Family Photographer

Photographer’s kids need photos too!

I have a habit of getting so busy during the fall that I put off taking photos of my own kiddos. Once most of my fall sessions were completed, I decided I couldn’t avoid it any longer, I needed to get some good photos of my kids. UGH!

Now that I have a minute to catch my breath (thanks winter slow season) it’s time to finally write a blog post featuring my kids. It has been several years since I have blogged a session of my own kids – gasp! I have tons of empathy for parents who get professional photos of their kids and the amount of time and effort it takes to get them ready. It is exhausting!

Now for something a little different

This year has been a different kind of year. I decided that I wanted something different when it came to the photos I would take of my kiddos. Urban photo shoots are something I am trying to incorporate more often with my clients and I knew it was exactly what I was looking for this year. Since I live in a tiny town with no “downtown” to speak of, I decided to photograph the kids in St. Charles, Missouri since it is the most adorable town around.

I started out trying to get some good posed shots with everyone looking at the camera.

And then it went downhill

Fortunately or unfortunately, my kids are used to having their photos taken. However, they are getting older and not quite as willing to model for me as they used to be. I knew this would be the case during this session so I made sure to offer a bribe before we left. I asked them what they wanted as a reward for behaving and making this session as painless as possible. The consensus was Peppermint Chip milk shakes from Chick-Fil-A. Yes, I bribed my kids. I am not ashamed.

Things started out fine and then, well they got silly. My favorite photos of my kids are when they are just being themselves but I think some of these went a little overboard. What do you think?

Just a few more…

Overall our session was the best one I have done with my own kids. I tried to stay patient with them and allow them to have fun and it kept them more relaxed. Maybe I should photograph them more often… maybe not.