How to Photograph a 2 Year Old

I've taken photos of Alexis since she's been 2, obviously. Mostly they've been 'mom' shots or our everyday life photos. I hadn't really done any formal{er} photos of her since she's been 2. Honestly, I didn't really want to, the whole idea just sounded exhausting and I had to wait til Jon had time off to help me. I kept putting it off and now that Lexi is 2.5, it couldn't be put off anymore. It seemed like every weekend was busy and we couldn't find time to take them. We finally found time one morning and I said we're going. We took her to a local gardens, where she could just run around and we didn't have to worry about her running in traffic, or getting hurt. She could explore.

    

Anyone who has a 2 year old knows they don't sit still, so they can't be posed like they were at 12 months. They don't smile or look at the camera on command. They're curious and an explorer by nature. If you shoot in manual, if you don't I may do a post on that later, try to set your settings to about what you'll need so you won't have to fuss too much about it during the shoot. It should be an easy dial turn here or there. Also, shooting in RAW is a big help.

 

Then, you let them loose and follow them. Photograph them being 2 years old. Photograph the energy, curiosity, and exploring nature they have. Not the "oh here she is sitting and smiling for the camera again", but the "this rock was amazing" or the "I've never seen a leaf like this before!" That's what you'll want to remember, that's what I want to remember. To review- 1) don't expect cooperation 2) set your settings beforehand, shoot in RAW format 3) let them be 2, while you document it. Because, well they are! And you may just get lucky and get a photo of them sitting still for 2 seconds hehe.