1. Prep them a night before : Kids do love surprises but keeping a photoshoot as a surprise might not be the best idea. Talk them up a day before and tell them how you all are going for a picnic. You also need to inform them that they will be meeting a new friend (the photographer). Tell them it’s going to be so much fun as they will get to run, play but at the same time they will be asked to do some activities.

2. Dress them in something comfortable : The last thing you would want to do is to make your kids uncomfortable. I never ask my clients to wear something very fancy or glitter. What makes a picture beautiful is their smiles and giggles. Planning the apparels a day before takes off a lot minute stress. Also check the weather before photoshoot and if needed, carry an extra layer to avoid any season change worries. In short, we should make sure the little one is feeling totally breezy.

3. Let them be real : Let your kids be themselves, at the time of photo-session. We don’t want to make them self conscious about the way they are standing, laughing, smiling. They are kids and whatever they do is going to be cute. And that’s what we are here to capture, the real them. Try and motivate them by saying “you are doing so great! We are so proud of you.”

4. Carry snacks and water : There is always a lot of running and physical exertion on shoots. Also, as they are done outdoors, the kid can feel thirsty often. Snacks are a great help to calm the little one down in case they throw a tantrum.

5. Relax and Enjoy : It's easy for us to panic and stress over the thoughts if the kid is going to be in his/her best mood or not. Let's not. In my every photosession, i give the kids time to understand the place, relax and get comfortable. I introduce myself and try to crack a joke with them.

Trust me, just give them some time, and they will pick up the pace :)