How do you deal with a child that runs everywhere...

The other week I took pictures of a cute little girl, she would run everywhere, there were very few moments when she was still... how do you cope with sessions like that?

I suggest a child sized chair, or a stool. Or something that is going to interest them, such as bubbles (bubbles can backfire though, if the kid insists on blowing the bubbles themselves).

Good luck!

Nail one foot to floor.
That way she can only run in circles.

Long story I'll try to make short. Kids as young as 2 years old understand about 90% of what is said to them. Parents have every opportunity to explain to a 2 year old what will be happening before they see you and set expectations for the child. Sadly, most parents don't do this.

Case in point: Your child is invited to a birthday party. You take your child to Toys R Us to buy a gift for the birthday party. If you don't explain to YOUR child before the trip why you're at the the toy store, he/she can only conclude that we're there to BUY ME TOYS!!! Any toy that goes into the shopping cart is YOUR kid's toy if you don't explain the situation. Imagine the outcome when the child is denied a toy she thought was for her?

A little 'splainin' goes a long way in getting even very young children to cooperate and get with the program! But get used to it Rachael, most parents don't read enough to learn basic parenting skills anymore!

Idea: Write a script for your parents explaining what is going to happen and ask them to paraphrase the information to their child BEFORE showing up for a shoot!

dave

I posted this in another similar thread. It might help, but you really do have to have a repetoire of tricks to try as no one child responds to any one trick:

"Depending on the age and temperment of the child, you could try the "hide the penny" game. Put a penny on the backdrop and ask him to put his foot on it to hide it. If he moves away, you grab the penny and say "Ooops! I got the penny." If he doesn't move, you take the shot and give him the penny, put it in his pocket, and put another in its place. Every now and then, count the pennies he has in his pocket, so he will get the idea that the more pennies he "hides" with his foot, the more he gets to keep. Just something to try.

I typically have a parent on their knees next to the kid to try and keep them in place, and then while the parent may have one hand on their elbow, I do something stupid so the kid will look at me and if I want to snap the shutter, I say "hand" and the parent retracts the hand immediately, and I snap. The "something stupid" can be just about anything, you really need a repetoire of age appropriate tricks, but you get the general idea."

Additionally, sometimes it helps to just let the kid run around a bit, to get it out of his system so to speak. Then encourage mom to sit on the backdrop with the kid on her lap and read him a picture book. Once he is settled in the book, she can gradually sit him on his own, still pointing out things in the book and settling nearby on her knees, but close enough she can still lean in to point at the book, keeping him engaged. At that point, you can say something to the kid about the book, "Little Johnny, do you see any pictures of candy in the book?" Whatever it takes to have him look up from the book. If you start saying silly things, you might even get a smile. Again, it depends on the age of the kid. 16 month olds probably won't still still for that, 24 months probably will. It is all about having a repetoire of things to try.
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philwillmedia wrote in post #12265280
Nail one foot to floor.
That way she can only run in circles.

lolz

valium

BrianP wrote in post #12392960
valium

I was thinking the same thing.

If you were trying to get a "posed shot" then I would have to say good luck (I've been there). But for candids, i would definitely recommend taking them to the park or playground let them run around bust out your telephoto and try to treat the shoot like trying to take a bird shot. Kids are a little bit slower than birds but they almost move as quick as them.

iggybytes wrote in post #12425191
If you were trying to get a "posed shot" then I would have to say good luck (I've been there). But for candids, i would definitely recommend taking them to the park or playground let them run around bust out your telephoto and try to treat the shoot like trying to take a bird shot. Kids are a little bit slower than birds but they almost move as quick as them.

The thing I find hardest about these conditions is the light. It's usually nice and soft on the skin on cloudy days but the surroundings tend to look a little "blah." On sunny days, the playground looks good but there are harsh shadows on the people. Also tough to lug around scrims and softboxes; by the time they're set up, the kids are somewhere else. Camera mounted flash just makes the scene look artificial.

tamara Lachey (or lackey?) has a great workshop on creative live you can see her intro's and find a ton of helpful info...or buy the workshop

BrianP wrote in post #12429767
The thing I find hardest about these conditions is the light. It's usually nice and soft on the skin on cloudy days but the surroundings tend to look a little "blah." On sunny days, the playground looks good but there are harsh shadows on the people. Also tough to lug around scrims and softboxes; by the time they're set up, the kids are somewhere else. Camera mounted flash just makes the scene look artificial.

Sunny days and light overcasts early morning and late afternoon light works really well. This needs some planning ahead though like anticipating weather. I'm from jersey, so planning ahead for sunny days or light overcasts are quite hard. Camera mounted flash aren't too bad as long as they are just for fill and catch lights.

I totally agree with lugging around softboxes, it's almost useless around running kids. Here's some of my shots on a sunny day of my son.

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Lorazepam. Just tell them it's candy.

EDIT: , just in case anyone thinks I'm serious.

And when all else fails, change your expectations of the session. If, in your mind's eye, you had imagined sweet posed or candid shots, you probably ain't gonna get 'em. The best you can hope for is to document the crazy, fun times of a manic toddler and you have to approach it like you were shooting sports or wildlife.

Re: Bubbles and backfiring...They have spill proof bubble containers. They work really well and can found really easy this time of year.