Montag family | Franklin child photographer

I met up with this fab family of 5 last week on a beautiful morning in Franklin.  This time of year, I try to shoot early or late in the day (unless I’m in the studio) because it is just so miserably hot. Kids (and let’s be honest– the dads) don’t love being out in the heat for a long shoot.  8:30am is definitely doable, though.  There were lots of smiles and laughs at our shoot… and maybe a few marshmallows.  Kuddos to mama on packing a quick, non-messy reward between set-ups.  The kids responded really well to it!  Little sister is 20 months old, and she stayed glued to her designated spot because she knew that she’d get a marshmallow if she did.  Friends, I am here to tell you that it is just about impossible to get a 1.5 year old to stay in one place.  That little treat just worked a little magic for her.  Clients often bring along a small snack just in case someone gets hungry.  The key is to keeping it small (like one piece handed out at a time, not the whole snack trap), making it a conditional reward based on good listening, and something that isn’t messy.

Back to the shoot, though, this first photo just steals the show for me.  I am slightly obsessed with mama + baby snuggly moments.