The day scheduled for the Van Straaten Family portrait at Sunset Rock had to be postponed due to high winds coming in strong off the Indian Ocean. One of the everyday possibilities when living in the Eastern Cape. In fact the annual St Francis Flash Float also had to be postponed. Like anything in life though, the weather has a tendency to pass by if you wait a while. The following day saw a return to beautiful summer conditions. Perfect conditions do however pose their own challenges when shooting with young toddlers. Trying to secure that magic moment where the light is fantastic and the youngest of the group are interested enough to have a stranger follow them around for just that little bit longer with a camera. The shoot is pretty much directed by the kids. When they’ve had enough, it’s pretty much the end of the session. Every family I have ever shot with young kids have a time limit. I’m not interested in getting loads of images from a single session. I prefer to take my time and have the pace dictated by the young ones. My own daughter and experience has taught me to read the signs, and when I notice that frustration or boredom is about to rear its ugly head, we stop what we’re doing, slow things down and defer attention from what we’re doing. This is a delay tactic, but one that has served me well because taking photos is not high up on the list of priorities for any toddler. Getting beautiful family portraits worthy of framing however is my top priority.