Family photography Mornington peninsula : The older kids
Outdoor family photography sessions in the Mornington Peninsula: Epic locations
One of my favourite locations in Melbourne to shoot is the Mornington Peninsula. There are a number of walking trails and great coastal tracks that can be used as an adventure for you to enjoy while having your photography session. Here is a list of the locations you could consider exploring if you have older kids, and you get bonus points if you decide to have your photography session there.
Beach family portraits in Mornington: Epic activities to do during your session.
My favourite sessions have to be during late spring afternoons at the beach. If your kids are a little older (School aged) then there are a ton of options and activities we could do to keep everyone entertained and engaged in your family photography session. With this guide I hope you will be able to get a few ideas to incorporate during your photography session.
Activities with things you could bring with you:
Fly a Kite: This is a great option, having a kite will allow us to capture everyone working hard trying to lift the kite in the air.
Scavenger hunt: This is a great way to keep toddlers busy and on a mission, collecting shells or rocks can be a great way to get them engaged
Make a teepee using drift wood: This has to be my favourite activity! Let’s collect some drift wood and try to put together a teepee and create a shelter to snuggle in!
Games you could play:
Duck duck goose:
How to play: Everyone is sitting and one player is the standing up. The player standing up pats the others on the head saying “Duck” or “Goose”. Once the player says goose, the player needs to stand up and run chasing the other player.
Please Mr Crocodile
How to play: One player is selected as “Mr Crocodile”. The rest of the players stand on the opposite side of Mr Crocodile. The players say “ “May I cross Mr Crocodile? What’s your favourite colour?” . The player doing Mr Crocodile shouts a colour and anyone wearing that colour is safe to pass to the other side. The players not wearing that colour can try and cross but Mr Crocodile needs to try and tag them.
The Octopus
How to play: One player is selected as the “Octopus”. This is a fast paced game, ideal to burn some energy and let loose for a little while. The players are placed on each corners of a rectangle course, and the octopus in the middle. when you say GO, everyone tries to go from one corner to the next and the octopus needs to tag the other players. If you are tagged then you need to stay still. The other players can rescue the other members.
I hope that these activities will give you an opportunity to think about the things you enjoy doing together as a family. These activities will allow you to relax and connect with each other and allow me to capture the real you and the interactions you have with each other.
Mornington Peninsula family photographer: How to photograph families with older kids - An insight to my photography approach.
Some ages are more challenging than others but above all my mission for your photography session is to connect with your kids and to be able to make this session fun and relaxed. My number one rule is: let them go wild. You might have high expectations about this ideal shoot, but most of the time the best approach is to let them loose. Here are some suggestions to have a great session:
Sometimes it’s all about timing: Although older kids don’t have any naps, if they are tired they will struggle during the photography session, so choose a time of the day and a day of the week when they don’t have a lot of activities and if possible in the morning, so they are rested and ready to go.
Go with the flow: Some kids can be very sensitive and they can sense when you are nervous, or when there is a change in their routine. Avoid telling them how they should behave as normally they will react in the opposite way and sometimes they will even shut down and avoid. If at any time they don’t want to do one of the activities during our session, we we will move onto the next thing and then come back and try again.
Let’s have fun even if they get messy: remember to bring some wipes and an extra t-shirt just in case. I normally start the sessions with formal photos and then we let loose. Let the kids explore enjoy some games, this will be. Great opportunity to make some candid images for you to look back.
I hope that these tips will allow you to give you an insight to my approach and hopefully it will guide you as you prepare for your own photography session. If you are contemplating on photographing your own family as they grow I would also like to show you an insight on my thoughts about photographing my own children.
Family photographer in Mornington: Personal photography projects and how to photograph your own pre-teen children.
Having older kids (pre-teens) can be challenging if you want to practice your photography skills on them. Older kids can be sometimes hard to engage with and sometimes they tend to be self conscious. I have decided that although their chubby cheeks and toothless smiles are not around anymore I am determined to photograph the beauty in our everyday and have memories of them.
I have learned over the years to become a bit of a fly in the wall to allow them to be part of their story without intruding. Through this guide I hope that I will be able to guide you to embrace this age and show you why this is still a great stage of childhood that needs to be recorded.
1.- Embrace the routine: beauty is everywhere
One of the most challenging things for me trying to navigate my personal photography and older kids has been making time to photograph them while spending time together. You see, when the kids get a bit older, their social lives as well as sports commitments and schoolwork seems to get in the way and the times we get to spend together and engaged in an activity as a group tend to be less and less. One of the things that have worked for me, has been asking them to get engaged in an activity (like cooking) and then I would follow along with my camera without asking them to move anything or to look at me, just navigate your way around them and become invisible.
2.- Photography for older kids: leave the pressure behind
One of the biggest frustrations as a photographer has to be the times when the light was unbelievable like a sunset or a sunrise while on holidays and yet the rest of the family was either still sleeping or too tired. I wanted to get “the” shot so badly that I was putting too much pressure on everyone, it wasn’t worth it. Over time I learned to always have my camera ready and make the most when everyone wanted to cooperate, I decided to slow down and then I noticed that I could still create great images without having an incredible backdrop, sometimes just waiting for a key moment was everything I needed.
3.- Keep your camera close by at all times
I’ve had several attempts at taking one photo everyday, but I only lasted a few months every time. This is a great way to make sure that your camera is always around and ready to go if a pretty light appears or if you have an activity to record.
4.- Make the most of their interest and what they love
Through the years I have loved photographing my kids passion. I feel that in a way this will help empower them and also help to record their story. You can ask them to be part of this and make it a collaborative project. Make sure that you talk to them about the value of this moment in their lives and how this will change over the years as they grow up.
I hope that these tips will help you to get your older kids more involved in your next photography project and hopefully they will understand how important this is to you. Make sure that you have a chat and book your photography session so that you are also part of these moments.
I hope that this article will inspire you to pick up your own camera or maybe even your own phone and take more photos of your everyday just as it is, without filters.
Fran Jorgensen is a family lifestyle photographer based in Melbourne and servicing the Mornington peninsula as well as Dromana, Mount Martha, Mccrae, Sorrento and Flinders. If you would like to see what a session looks like, then head over to the blog to get an idea.
Fran Jorgensen specialises in Newborn photography, Maternity photography in Mornington, Family lifestyle photography, Candid photography, Natural outdoor family lifestyle photography and in home photography sessions.
