Getting the Giggles: How I Make Kids Laugh During Family Portrait Sessions
Let’s be honest, family portrait sessions don’t always rank high on a kid’s list of weekend fun. For them, standing still in uncomfortable clothes while a stranger points a camera at them might feel more like punishment than a party. And if the adults are tense? Multiply the kid tension by ten.
But I learned something years ago: the best portraits happen when everyone is laughing.
“Well duh. Isn’t that obvious?” you might ask. But the reality is that because most of us know that great smiles and laughter make for great photos, many parents try way too hard to get their kids to do their “happy smile”, and it ends up shutting the child down. If you want real smiles and genuine laughter – the kind that makes parents tear up later – there are ways to get there. Here are some of mine.
1. I never start with the camera.
When I arrive at a session, the first thing I do is say hi to everyone, but especially the kids. I usually compliment something about their appearance or clothing, especially if it’s clearly something they chose, like a SpongeBob T-shirt or a favorite toy they’re carrying. I also crouch down so I’m on their level. Small things like these show them that I’m paying attention to them, which kids don’t always get when adults are focused on each other.
The goal is to create an easy, no-pressure introduction that reminds the kids that they matter and that they’re part of what’s happening. In fact, for the first few minutes, I don’t even touch my camera. We just talk, letting everyone ease into it. By the time we start shooting, the energy is much more relaxed, and it really shows in the photos.

2. I don’t demand that kids smile for me.
I also ask parents not to push too hard either, because that’s how you end up with the frozen, strained grins everyone hates – even though it usually comes from well-meaning parents trying to force smiles, lol. No judgment here! I’ve got a teenager, so I know how hard it is to get a natural smile.
Instead, at the start of the session I encourage parents to let their kids be themselves. Don’t wrangle them. Don’t try to force stillness. Let them play around us without being reined in. Let them be silly, make weird faces, talk nonsense – whatever comes naturally.
Once they’re fully in that “silly” zone is when you get some of the most fun candid shots. And it feels like I’m losing their attention, I’ll sometimes do something unexpected, like telling them “Oh, no! I forgot how to blink!” while staring with my eyes ultra-wide open, or I’ll hold the camera backwards and ask if it’s working.
One of the best reasons for easing into the shoot? When the kids are comfortable around you, when they’re having fun, they’re more likely to cooperate when it’s time for the posed photos. No bribes needed*.
*Sometimes kids are just super cranky or not feeling it at all, and then a well-timed bribe by the parents can work wonders. “If you guys do what Namu asks you to for the next fifteen minutes, we’ll take you out for ice cream afterwards!”

3. I involve the whole family in the play.
Here’s the thing about family sessions: if parents are stiff and overly focused on keeping the kids in line, the kids will absolutely sense it. Because of this, I usually give the grownups a job: tickle your kid, whisper something ridiculous in their ear, or make an embarrassing sound effect. Sometimes I’ll have the kids chase a parent around, or try to build a pyramid on their back. When the whole family is in on the joke, the results are better. The laughter becomes shared, not staged.

4. Speaking of, I not only allow chaos, I encourage it!
Sometimes a session gets loud or messy or weird and that’s not only okay, it’s often perfect. Some of the best photos I’ve ever taken happened two seconds after a kid made a fart sound, or while a toddler bolted across a field with no shoes and one sock. I follow the energy. Not every photo needs to be posed. In fact, most of them shouldn’t be. There’s nothing wrong at all with traditional posed portraits, but to me, they do very little to show who you really were – but fun, chaotic, silly candid shots? Those are a doorway into the people you and your children were in that moment.
5. Sometimes it’s better to cut your losses and take what you can get.
Not every child wants to laugh on cue. Some are shy, or tired, or simply not into it that day. That’s fine. Sometimes slowing it all down and taking some serious shots is far better than trying to force kids to be spontaneous or lively. I never want a forced a smile, and I’ve gotten pretty good over the years at recognizing when a kid is over it.
Sometimes the best photo isn’t a laugh, anyway. It might be a quiet moment, a hand on mom’s shoulder, a glance to the side. It’s important to remember that kids don’t need to perform for the camera to be photogenic, and there’s nothing wrong with capturing who they are right then and there, even if it’s not the version parents were hoping to see.

In the end, it’s about trust.
When a child feels safe, seen and respected, laughter tends to follow. And when it doesn’t? That’s okay too. The goal isn’t just to get a great picture, it’s to capture the real relationship, the real connection, and if it happens, the real laugh.
That’s what families come to me for, and it’s one of the things I love most about this work.