I recently had the amazing opportunity to mentor a photographer who follows me all the way from Canada! Mary C. Images came to me wanting to help take her family sessions to the next level - we talked about posing flow, managing children, lighting, camera settings, editing, and more!! Mary specifically asked to observe me photograph a bigger family, so I set out to find one and was so thrilled that this sweet family signed up! We did this photoshoot in Trumbull, CT while Mary streamed in live from Alberta - technology really is so cool!

These kiddos each brought their own unique personality to the shoot, which made it a perfect teaching opportunity. All kids really are so different and require a different approach to make them both feel comfortable and to make them respect your authority. Authority feels like a weird word to use as a photographer, but let’s be real…just like a coach or a teacher or a camp counselor, we are running the show and it’s important that kids can feel that while still having fun with you! I talked a lot about how important it is to maintain control of your sessions in a way that is firm but fun, not only for the kids’ sake but the parents. Parents want to feel like “you’ve got it”, so they can relax. If you are leading them, directing them, and helping manage their kids throughout., it will create a foundation of trust which really makes for a better experience for everyone. I love teaching my mentees some of the management techniques I use on kids, of all different personalities, to help them stay engaged with what we are doing while still keeping the tone light and fun.

I truly had so much fun with this family and with Mary. This session came out so dreamy, I just had to share some of my favorites!

This family was fully styled from the Stefanie Cole Photography Client Closet - come learn more!