Dream Sessions are my favourite session!
One day I decided to take sleeping photos of my 1.5 year old daughter. I thought I would maybe be able to get a few shots and I went into it prepared with the possibility I would likely wake her up and she would miss out on her nap. I decided to try it anyway and to my shock and surprise she didn’t wake up but slept through her photos! She even stayed asleep when I put her into her bed to finish her nap.
I thought that my results could potentially be a fluke so I tried again the next day to see if I could replicate them and surprisingly she slept again! And so I tried several more times and concluded that I could in fact pose sleeping toddlers. Thus began my love of toddler dream sessions.
After I discovered that I could do dream session photos with toddlers posed like newborn poses, I started to try harder and harder poses to wee what was possible. Since then I have been trying out any and every pose I can think of.
Why I love Dream Sessions
I love dream sessions for so many reasons! When we first bring our babies home we spend forever watching them sleep and before we know if they spend more time running around than they do dozing in our arms. Newborn babies are undoubtably cute. No one can disagree with that! But a newborn baby is somewhat of a blank slate in that we don’t really know them yet. They’re little personalities are still hidden inside them. As they get older their personalities shine through and we see them as little people, little people who never stop moving! But then they sleep and they are both our tiny babies and these little people with big personalities. Dream sessions let you capture those feelings and all the perfect details of their faces.
I also love dream sessions for the challenge! Newborn sessions are one of the hardest types of portrait photography and for me dream sessions are another level of difficulty which makes it all the more satisfying when you succeed!
How does a dream session work?
Schedule around nap time
If you are interested in sleeping photos of your toddler we will book you in for a time frame that is schedule around your child’s regular nap schedule. If your child typically sleeps at 12 I would have you come in a half hour before their regular nap time. When you arrive we will dress your child in the outfit we would like to use for their photos or keep them in just a diaper. You would then help your child to sleep the way they usually do, by soother, bottle, rocking etc.
After your toddler falls asleep
Once you get your toddler to sleep I will pose and photograph them in as many different poses as they will sleep through. Depending on your child, how deeply they sleep and what sleep props they use I may only get one or two poses but if your child is a deep sleeper I could do several “beanbag” poses and even a prop shot.
What if they won’t sleep?
If your child can’t fall asleep in the strange environment or wakes immediately after they fall asleep don’t worry! I will be prepared to take awake portraits of your child too. We will make sure you have some gorgeous photos from your visit even if they don’t sleep. If your child is having an off day we can always reschedule for a better time.
Visit my page on Pricing for information about Dream Sessions