Full BTS Family Session: Winter with Toddlers

This is a full, mic’d-up behind-the-scenes look at how I run a family session when conditions are far from ideal!

In this session, I’m working with:

• A 3 (almost 4) year old

• An 18-month-old

• Cold January beach weather

• A very real time of about 20–30 minutes total before everyone tapped out

The kids were cold, shivering, and very clear about what they did and did not want to do. Some ideas worked. Some didn’t. And instead of forcing a “perfect” session, I shifted my focus to the experience, which meant reading the kids, reading the parents, and being intentional with every decision I made.

This BTS shows how I:

• Adapt my approach for this specific age range

• Work quickly without making the session feel rushed

• Let sessions feel more like a hangout instead of a performance

• Follow kids’ leads while still staying in control

• Use transitions to create gallery variety efficiently

• Make real-time decisions when plans change

• Protect the client experience and deliver results

  Despite the challenges we had, I delivered a full gallery of 82 images in under 30 minutes and the parents were absolutely thrilled!

This is a full mic’d-up session, including:

• Real-time direction and conversation

• My internal thought process as things unfold

• Closed captioning throughout

• Visual examples of the images captured during the session

This resource is for photographers who want to feel calm, confident, and prepared when sessions don’t go as planned...especially with toddlers, young kids, or tough conditions!