Maine & New Hampshire Family Photographer //How I Earn a Toddler’s Trust (And Sometimes a Frog)

Let’s talk about kids for a second. Some of them meet me and are like, “HECK YES, this lady seems fun!” And others? They take one look at me — the lady with the big camera and zero snacks — and they’re like, “Nah, I’m good.”

And that’s totally cool.

Because here’s the thing: I don’t expect kids to be on my team right away. I’m not here to bribe them into fake smiles or force them into poses they don’t want to be in. I’m here to earn their trust. Slowly. With a whole lot of patience. And maybe by letting them hand me a frog they found in a puddle (true story).

It’s not about perfect smiles. It’s about real moments.

The magic happens when I let kids be themselves. That means I start by giving them space if that’s what they need. I hang back. I let them interact with the people they trust most — their parents, their siblings — and I just take pictures when they are not aware that I am doing so. I watch for those tiny moments that matter: a tickle fight, a bear hug, a full-speed run straight into mom’s arms.

That’s where the gold lives.

And you know what? Most of the time, by the end of the session, I’ve won them over. I’m not just the camera lady anymore — I’m the fun lady who asked them to run through fields, walk across a log, or chase their big brother through the tall grass. I’m the one who didn’t make them sit still and smile, and they love me for that.

I keep things moving at toddler pace — not grown-up “let’s get this done” pace.

Because let’s be honest — toddlers don’t care about your Instagram feed. They care about fun. They care about movement. And if we keep things playful and go with the flow, they stay happy, and no one melts down.
(Except maybe me if I step on a LEGO on the way out. Still recovering.)

I’ve had dads — who usually walk into sessions like, “how long is this gonna take?” — end the shoot by saying, “That actually went really well. Like… better than I could’ve ever imagined.”

Damn right it did. Because we didn’t force it. We let it be.
We let the chaos happen, and we found the joy in it.

So no, I’m not here for stiff poses or fake smiles. I’m here for frog offerings, field sprints, sibling tickle wars, and that one perfect second where your toddler looks at you like you hung the moon.

That’s the stuff worth remembering. That’s what I’m here to capture.