Photographers will learn how to prepare children, including neurodivergent kids, for a photoshoot using simple social stories, outfit guides and flexible, child led session planning. They will also pick up practical in session tricks for getting genuine laughter and reactions from kids of all temperaments.
Laura-Jane Ferguson, a family photographer and former teacher based in Geelong, Australia, near the Great Ocean Road, built a visual guide that walks children through what will happen at a shoot, who the photographer is and what they might see and hear. She talks through how she preps parents, reads a child's energy on the day, and adapts everything from outfits to games so that families walk away with a good experience rather than a stressful one.
About Laura-Jane Ferguson
Laura-Jane Ferguson is a family photographer based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, near the Great Ocean Road, who has been shooting for 21 years. She is also a teacher, having taught junior years (ages five to eight) and some high school, who blends her teaching background into her photography sessions, and she created a visual guide to help prepare children, including neurodivergent children, for photoshoots.
Key takeaways
1. Send a simple social story before the shoot
Laura created a visual guide that walks a child through what will happen at the session, including that there is a photographer, a camera that clicks, and that their parents will stay with them. This small step removes a lot of anxiety for kids who have never experienced a photoshoot before, especially neurodivergent children who need things broken down step by step.
2. Ask parents where their child feels safest
Instead of defaulting to a popular location like the beach, ask the family where the child enjoys playing and feels most comfortable. A child with sensory sensitivities to sand might do far better at home, and letting the parents guide the location choice leads to a calmer session for everyone.
3. Get parents involved from behind the camera
Laura's go to tip is positioning mom and dad next to the camera, out of the shot, making silly faces or sounds to get genuine laughter from the kids. Because the parents are the child's safe people, this trick consistently produces real smiles instead of forced ones.
4. Match the child's energy instead of forcing enthusiasm
If a child comes in excited, meet them with excitement, but if they are shy and hiding in a parent's skirt, get down to their level and speak softly instead of being overly bubbly. Reading and matching their energy builds trust faster than a one size fits all approach.
5. Build a bank of games and prompts for different kids
Keep a mental list of options like freeze games, floor is lava, dance parties, and silly prompts such as asking kids to scream a funny word on the count of three. Some of these, like toilet humor jokes, will land well with certain kids and fall flat with others, so it helps to test and adjust based on how the child responds.
6. Know when to stop and reschedule
If a session is not working, such as a crying newborn and a stressed toddler, it is often better to do twenty minutes and come back another day than to push through a full hour. Laura treats this as a rare cost of doing business because she would rather a family leave with a good experience than a bad one.
7. Use positive reinforcement when outfits or settings are out of a child's control
When kids have to wear something they did not choose, such as for branding shoots, frame it positively by telling them it is only for a few minutes and pairing it with a reward like a dance party or a trip to the park afterward. Validating how they feel helps them cooperate without feeling forced.
Favourite moments
"Knowing how, like, how simple a social story is, it seems so simple to us, but to a child, that can just take away so much anxiety, just giving them simple little stories on each page."
Laura-Jane Ferguson
"I think you have to go into a shoot with children without too much of an idea of what you wanna get out of it."
Laura-Jane Ferguson
"Instead of just saying, "Smile," or, "Say cheese," that's not gonna get, like, a natural smile."
Laura-Jane Ferguson
"If there's things not to say to kids at a photo shoot, is it's like anything that starts with no and don't, you know?"
Laura-Jane Ferguson
"We've gotta be flexible. And, like, that just goes for every child. We have to be flexible."
Laura-Jane Ferguson
Listen to the full episode
Watch the episode above, or listen to How to Prep Kids for a Photoshoot with Laura-Jane Ferguson on Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I prepare a neurodivergent child for a photoshoot?
How do I get kids to smile naturally in photos?
What should I do if a child has a meltdown during a session?
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