Newborn photos with a sibling involved are wildly different from doing them with just the parents and baby, but they don't have to be overwhelming! We only need a few minutes of cooperation from the older sibling to get tons of beautiful photos. The key is to give them breaks, keep it low pressure, and focus on shots that don't feel too forced. Here is what I generally expect of toddlers during a session!
2-5 minutes of family photos. I like to do these first before kids get too tired of sitting still. It really doesn't take that long to do these!
2. 1-2 sibling interactions. I use the term "interactions" because sometimes toddlers are too young to get a sibling shot where they are holding the baby. It's safer and less pressure to get a couple shots where the kids are both held or where the sibling is just looking at the baby!
3. 1-2 candid family interactions. One of my favorite ways to do this is to read a book with the toddler or play a game so that it doesn't feel like we are taking pictures, they just feel like they're having fun!
4. For the rest of the photos, the sibling can take a break and we can get some baby shots and ones with just parents! That's all you need to have a great and varied gallery.
