Top 5 tips for capturing authentic emotion during motherhood photoshoots

What are your top 5 tips for capturing authentic emotion during motherhood sessions?

#1 Open up and connect with your subjects

In order to allow your subjects to relax and be authentic, you need to make them feel comfortable. I think the easiest way to do that is to find a common interest/topic, share and exchange vulnerable feelings or stories, and make that connection from the beginning!

#2 Be prepared for the unexpected

Kids are SO unpredictable and I find myself more in love with the moments right after I press the shutter. I’ve learned to just be ready to capture cute moments at any given time.

#3 Eyes closed, deep breaths, neck rolls

These small prompts will make any pose tell a story. It creates this really melancholy feeling, which I Love. You can even have mama hum a lullaby or sing her baby a song while swaying to add even more depth and movement!

#4 Have mama think back to when her baby was first laid on her chest

Or when her baby smiled for the first time. Or think to the future, like when her baby graduates high school, or the day they fall in love or move out. You will be sure to get some authentic emotion bringing up these memories and thoughts!

#5 Let the baby run the show!

Okay, if you have kids you already know this. Once a child hits that tantrum stage, it's super hard to come back from. So I always allow the children to run the show. Keeping the children happy, and parents feeling like they aren't failures is a sure way to keep the session authentic!

What do you do to ensure a mother and child feel comfortable at a shoot?

There are a number of ways to make sure everyone feels comfortable during such an intimate session. For me, it starts with connecting to my clients -- making them feel like they are home and I'm their lifelong friend. I usually use the first 10-15 minutes of my session to just talk, and get to know them and their child. We talk about our birth experiences, or the daily struggles of parenting, and end off the conversation with what to expect during our time together. This is where I let them know that I am not looking for smiling at the camera and kids sitting still. I ask them to allow their kids to play, and to love each other the whole time! Becoming their friend will allow them to feel comfortable from the start, so it won't feel like such a challenge throughout the session. If you feel mama getting stressed out, reassure her that they are doing great and it's exactly what you wanted! I often show my subjects the back of the camera when I've got a great SOOC to prove it to them! Oh, and last thing, snacks. Always have snacks.

How do you capture the true essense of a Mother and Child's bond?

First, you acknowledge the fact that the true essence of motherhood involves many sleepless nights, shower cries, and moments of feeling like you aren't enough. Children love SO unconditionally and with so much forgiveness. It always blew my mind, how I could totally lose my cool or be completely preoccupied with work and yet my babies were so loving (even when I felt like I didn't deserve all of that love). I feel like my images always take me back to that feeling of unconditional love.Taking a step back and looking for those little moments for your subjects and then coming in really close and grabbing those tight crops seem to almost give you the ability to hear the baby coo to their mama. Try watching the way mama's hand moves around her child's body, or vice versa. Or the way her hair may fall onto her child's arm. They may seem like unimportant details now, but these little moments help to tell the story and show the bond that your subjects share.

Can you give us a few examples of how you prepare a mother and child for a shoot?

To prepare, I always start off with setting expectations for the shoot. I talk with the mother and we decide on styling and location to help set the mood for the session. If she is wanting an intimate, skin to skin setting, then we will style in a minimal way to keep the focus on their bond. Once styling and location are out of the way, we go over what will happen during our shoot! I remind mama that there's no need for staring at me and smiling, or kids sitting still. We talk about keeping her hands connected to her child throughout the shoot and her chin out to avoid the dreaded double chin. We start off more playful to ease into it, and I work hard the entire time to keep my mama comfortable so that towards the end, so that you can celebrate her and her baby’s intimate bond - with clothing, or without.

The true essence of a mother and child’s bond is so much more than can be confined to the four walls of a photograph. But by getting to know the mother and child you’re working with (and lots of deep breaths), the images you capture will glow with that feeling of unconditional love.