In this energy-filled family photo shoot, we’ll take a journey with the Perssons as they took custody of their youngest son, Edvin. We’ll talk about the ups and downs and how we reached the wonderful place we did by the end of this shoot. Post-custody sessions are always somewhat up in the air and very much a take-things-as-they-come affair. Until we actually meet, there’s no telling how the little ones will be and this shoot was such a perfect example of how things go at these times. So, for anyone considering a post-custody shoot with me, I feel like this may just be the masterclass you’re looking for!
Linn reached out to me around the time of her family’s first meetings with Edvin to start the conversation about having a family photo shoot after they took custody. Speculating based on other familys’ timetables, she gave me a rough window of when they might take custody and we agreed on settling on an exact date as soon as they had everything confirmed. That wait, in the end, was only a few days. The agency set a date with them promptly and as soon as their flights were booked, we settled on a date a few days after custody to make sure they’d have time to settle in.
This is always a good idea if you can manage it, because it means we’re not all trying to figure out a little one at the same time! Another benefit of this is that you get to see what the little one’s schedule will be like post-custody. Typically, a significant life event like this will shake things up so nap and feed times can change somewhat directly after custody.
That was exactly the case here. We’d originally scheduled for 3:30pm, but we would come to know that this was the exact time Edvin’s head began to nod for his afternoon nap! Thankfully, we had a cloudy day for our shoot and the light wouldn’t be a problem, so we rescheduled for 2pm to work around that and make sure he used up all of his energy ready for a big nap!
When it comes to post-custody photo shoots, I always like to start with a family walk if we can. Keeping things moving not only distracts the little one from the new stranger, but often helps to calm them. Stopping in place for any length of time, as any parent of a young child will attest, can often lead to disaster! On this day, that actually turned out to be more of a problem for big-brother, Henry, who was tired from all the changes. Edvin was just fine with any silliness we came up with!
Even so, I’ll always try to get the classic “Christmas Card” photo of all the family members looking at the camera and a couple of closeups of the children doing the same. That, however, proved to be a little too much on this day with all the emotions and lack of sleep compounding to make activity our only real way forward. So, we got our card and then went into play and explore mode. This was a big team effort as we had Edvin who needed to be spoken to in Korean, Henry who needed Swedish, and myself, Linn, and Olof speaking English together due to my lack of Swedish! So, short instructions and lots of fun were definitely the way forward.
Having raised Henry for several years by this point, Linn and Olof knew exactly how to get him back on our side, so it was only a case of making things fun for Edvin. Linn started a game of flying like aeroplanes with Henry and I encouraged them to fly over to where a nice composition would result. We then had Olof pick up Edvin and put him on his shoulders so they could all move together. This resulted in a fun composition dance that made me feel more like a street photographer than a family photographer. But, it did give me another idea of how to keep the flow going. We could move into a nearby courtyard with a bit more space and approach the session just like a street photography outing.
So, we decided on keeping the fun going with the kids and set an area where the photographs would work before just allowing the fun to ensue. With a little bit of dancing and swinging, we managed to get several more beautiful moments of bonding. The other great thing about doing a few minutes like this is that we can very quickly pick up the children at the end of this fun and capture the “Christmas Card” shot once again with the big smiles that come from joyful play.
By this time, it was approaching Edvin’s nap time and it was clear that he was running short of energy. The second he was given a moment to himself, he plopped down and started poking the stones on the ground. I asked the rest of the family to quickly move their play into the background of this and captured a moment that I feel wraps up the story of this day together quite well. Edvin was done and we needed to call this session before he took a nap where he was sitting.
As I scrolled through the images from the day looking for a couple for the family to post, a phrase came to mind: “Welcome to the chaos, little man!”. That was exactly how it all felt. Two little personalities that needed taking care of and a team of adults to go with the flow and make it happen. This is post-custody at its finest. It was a beautiful day!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! If you’re looking for your own family to be photographed post-custody or are after a family photo shoot that is unscripted like this one, please do reach out!