Children are the easiest subjects to photograph and the hardest to direct. They are unguarded in a way adults stop being at about eleven, which is exactly what makes the pictures worth having — and they will not hold a pose for a second longer than they feel like.
So a session with a child is not really about posing. It is about timing, patience, and building the shoot around them rather than the other way round.
Book the morning
The single most useful decision. Small children are rested, fed and curious in the first half of the day. By late afternoon most are running on empty, and no amount of coaxing produces a real smile from a tired toddler.
For babies, we work around naps and feeds rather than the clock. Tell me your child’s rhythm and I will fit the session to it.
Let me be a stranger for ten minutes
You know your child; I do not. I do not know what makes them laugh, what they are shy about, or what will make them bolt. So the first part of any session is not photography — it is letting them get used to me while you stay close.
The most helpful thing you can do is join in. Talk to them, play, point things out. Photographs of a child looking at a parent are almost always better than photographs of a child looking at a camera.
And if they are having none of it, that is fine. Nothing is lost. We change tack, take a break, or move somewhere else. Children pick up frustration immediately, and a session that starts badly can still turn around completely.
Formats that work
On location around Dubai. Beaches, parks, the old town, the marina. Room to run, no pressure to sit still, and pictures that show where you actually were.
At home. For newborns and very small babies this is usually the best option. Familiar surroundings, their own things, no travelling, and you can stop whenever you need to.
In studio. Controlled light and clean backgrounds. Good for classic portraits at any age, and the sensible choice in the middle of summer.
Events. A birthday, a christening, a first day at school, a family gathering. Documented as it happens rather than arranged.
Themed sessions. A costume, a favourite character, a set built around something they love. These work best from about four upwards, when a child can enjoy the idea rather than just tolerate it.
What to bring
A favourite toy. A change of clothes, because something will get spilled or splashed. Snacks. And low expectations about how much of the session will go to plan — the frames you end up framing are rarely the ones you pictured beforehand.
Why to do it more than once
Children change faster than any other subject. A gap of six months at that age is a different person. Parents who photograph their children regularly end up with something no single perfect session can produce: a record of how someone became themselves.
To arrange a children’s session in Dubai, see the portfolio or book a date.
