Do not bribe your children in any way related to our photography session. It doesn’t work very well anyway because children often just want to get through the shoot so they can go to the toy store. The point is to have fun family time. Focus instead on the fun activities we have planned, because that’s what we want to remember.
If your child develops a selfish mood and stubbornly won’t participate in the family shoot, plan to leave him alone with Robin for a while. I’ll get great closeup shots of him while you’re away, and when you get back, he’ll be ready for family pictures — all without ever uttering, “If you play nicely with your sister I’ll take you to the toy store.“
Moms, I’m burying this on purpose, but please remember to tell your husband that I’m coming so he doesn’t answer the door in his jammies and wonder what the heck I’m doing there on the day he was going to play golf with his buddies.
Everyone (adults included!) should be fed, with a totally full tummy, and cleaned up when I get there. Avoid snacks while I’m around, except for ice cream at the end, in which case, my favorite is chocolate.