To bring toys in photoshoots or not to bring a toy? Yes, is my answer.
The short version of my answer to whether or not you should allow toys in photoshoots is a resounding yes. Y’all, I am not above bribery. You can bring toys, treats, promises you don’t intended on keeping, anything! Whatever is going to make your life easier and your kiddos happier, is always going to get my vote. I decided to write this post after my last round of mini sessions. My friend Aislinn let her son bring his favorite plane toys, and I took note of how happy it made him! For a more detailed explanation and tips when encountering this, read on friends.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
If the toy is a point of contention and your child is going to be upset without it, please let them bring it. I promise I am not trying to tell you how to parent! As a photographer, I am always in support of what makes my clients happiest. If your kid really wants to bring a toy, but you really don’t want the toy photographed, give your photographer a heads up! If you bring it, and I know about the situation, I can work with it. We can try to hide the toy in photos, we can try promising one photo with the toy then taking it out, having the toy as our audience, etc. In the photo below, little man is actually playing with his toy planes, but can you tell? 😉
The Case for Documenting your Life as it Really Exists
If it’s your child’s absolute favorite toy–that goes with you everywhere anyways–why not bring it and have a few photos to remember it by? What I love about photographing clients is really this idea of documenting your life. I’m talking documenting your real life. For example, I used to be an after school caregiver for a child that had a woody toy which was LIFE. We did not go anywhere without woody. If I had photographed him, and he insisted on woody being in the photo, I am positive his mom would have agreed. Woody was basically an extension of their family, and it would make sense to also capture that in family photos of them at that time in their life.
Benching the Toy for a Sub
If you just don’t like the way the toy looks, are there photo-worthy alternatives that can be used as bribery? Does your child have a gorgeous stuffed animal you wouldn’t hate seeing in photos? In the photo below, you will see that our buddy actually brought two planes, but I chose to mainly photograph him playing with the blue plane because I thought it was a little more timeless and less distracting. Or, is there a treat you can promise them for good behavior after the session? My best piece of advice is to try to get them excited about this photoshoot! (PS all of this advice is encouraged for husbands, too. 😂)
Summary of my opinion on Toys in Photoshoots
To sum it up, I am an advocate of doing anything to prep for your session that makes your life easier. If your child wants to bring a toy, and you don’t want to see it in the photo but they are upset at the idea of not having it, bring it. Tell your photographer about the situation and they just might have a few tricks up their sleeve to help you with toys in photoshoots!
More Photo session prep tips
Wondering how else you can prep your kids for photoshoots? Check these resources out or click the “photo session prep + tips” section of my blog for some binge reading!