Sitting Still is the opposite of Toddlerhood, and thus the best toddler photos are candids. For me, a toddler shoot is opportunistic documentation of her explorations and conquering of this Big Fun World, finally accessible by her newfound ability to Run. It's a delight to watch a child discover a gazillion new things, one after another! I don't expect her to look at the camera - there are so many more interesting things to look at. It's up to me to try to predict where she is headed; otherwise I'd wind up with a lot of photos of her rear view. My main advice for toddler shoots - let tots be tots! Trying to convince them to sit and smile is just going to frustrate everyone. If she wants to drag an unphotogenic doll around with her throughout, run around in circles or stick her tongue out, so be it - that's who she is at 2 years old. A photo shoot with a toddler is an hour of playtime.
I am very fond of this set of photos. Yes, it was a typical gray San Francisco day, but such conditions didn't interfere with this tot's curiosity and energy. Excellent postpartum workouts, these toddler shoots!
