I finally got to meet Tiya today, we have had a session booked for what seems like forever. I got to meet her and her five-year-old daughter Riley for a morning session over the weekend. 

The mother-daughter duo matched in their white dresses and cowboy boots - so cute. 

As a family photographer I meet a lot of children, all of different ages. When photographing children you never know what to expect, really. Even children I have photographed numerous times sometimes are still shy and just not into it. Let's be honest, we teach our children about strangers and here we are all of a sudden expecting them to drop that and allow a stranger to take their photo and then smile on top of it? Kind of crazy right? 

Even after taking photos of your children a few times it may still actually take time at the session for them to warm up to me - and that is okay. 

This was my first time meeting both Tiya and Riley and while Riley was pumped for photos in the car all of sudden the camera jitters kicked in and fear was the forefront for Riley. What is the best cure for camera-jitters? Patience and time. 

We tried walking it off for awhile, I learned that Riley loved animals and was afraid of spiders and snakes. We stopped and watched two Blue Herons stroll through the pasture and eventually take off. Riley still didn't want anything to do with the session. And what is important to remember that this can overwhelming with everyone there so as much Riley didn't want to be apart of this, Tiya was feeling defeated. 

We tried something different and I thought well maybe Riley need a change of scenery. Let her jump in the car to warm up and maybe she will feel better in the 5-minute car ride. We did just that not knowing if Riley would want to participate but we kept all positive energy that by the time she got somewhere else she would love me and want to pretend to be a princess for my camera. 

We got to the second location and a new Riley stepped out of the car. 

She warmed up, got pumped up and was ready with smiles and tickles galore. We seized the opportunity and ran around and played some games and got some posed photos of the duo. In the end all worked out and we got some great shots of them. I was so happy we moved to a second location and let Riley warm up and feel at ease with me. Patience is key with children. 

Also reminder - no one is judging you based on how your children are acting at the session. Really. It's a judgement free zone. None of us are perfect and that includes children we need to remember they are people too! And as moms we are often thinking about what other's think about us. I want everyone, mom, dad, grandma, cousin and the kids to be comfortable around me.