Admit it: your child is more adept at operating your many digital devices than you are. It’s okay, really: if you look around you any day of the week, you’ll know you’re not alone. The way children absorb information is uncanny, and their ability to understand the role of technology in their little bitty lives is nothing short of astounding. So, I guess I shouldn’t have been terribly surprised when 20-month-old Oliver took one look at my fancy camera gear the morning of our session and knowingly chimed out, “cheeeeeeese!” (He then promptly darted away.)
I spent the first few minutes of that warm winter morning with Oliver, so that he would know my presence there was as much about him as it was to photograph his new baby brother. Little Axel was born just a month earlier, and if there’s anything I’ve learned about sibling dynamics during family sessions, it’s that each child has different needs and moods to adjust for, and each one should feel like an important part of the process. Sometimes the balance can be difficult to strike — especially when the older child is accustomed to claiming all of the attention — but we just work through it with lots of breaks, snuggles, and snacks. Even if we incur a meltdown or two, we inevitably end up with what we sought in the first place: memorable smiles and sweet moments for the family album.
Even precious little Axel cracked a smile for me partway through the morning; though it may have just been the result of being happily milk drunk, I’ll take it! Enjoy! xo
