Sit Still And Smile!

Have you ever had family portraits taken with a toddler? It's a challenge.


We had some professional family photos taken recently. I wanted some special shots of the three of us and, besides, it's another thing to cross off my list of things to do before I turn 30. 


My first task was choosing a photographer. I found Louisa of Lou Lou Portraits via Twitter (is there anything that website can't do?) and when I saw her work, I just knew I had to call her.


She came to our house, armed with her portable studio equipment. The late afternoon lighting was perfect, so she set up outside, which turned out to be a wise decision as we ended up with a beautiful mix of black and white studio-type shots and colour pictures taken around our backyard. This became the plan only after Steve and I said, 'Sit down and look at the camera, Abbey, smile!' a few too many times.


Our daughter does not like to sit still. Nor does she fancy herself a performing seal, so she does not smile on cue or even just leave the photographer's camera alone when asked by her frustrated parents. In the end, we found props: our little camera and a pen and paper. And, amongst all the chaos and running around, Louisa managed to get some amazing shots.


Here are just two of the many that we loved:

Thanks to Louisa, who was so, so lovely and just great with Abbey.


Megan