Asking little ones to stand still for a whole 30 minutes is a recipe for grumpiness—and demanding compliance will get you tears and tantrums. (ask me how I know) Now, in other situations in life, it might be time to lay down the law or remove the child from their situation but that doesn’t really work when you’re trying to get photos of them without tears. My solution to this is to keep the session moving. We never stay in one spot. We only a certain pose for a few minutes before continuing our walk down the path. A change of scenery and not standing around in one spot really helps the kiddos stay engaged. And if they’re feeling especially jittery, I let them jump around or dancing it out. Not only does it make them feel like they are in control (and not this stranger they don’t know) but they also have fun and give us some cute natural smiles!