How to Win Over Dads at a Photo Session

(Yes, Even at 7am on a Sunday)

Let’s be honest.

Most dads are not the ones booking the photo session.
They’re not the ones pinning outfit ideas or dreaming about golden light.

And yet there they are.
Standing on a beach at 7am. Slightly unsure. Slightly skeptical. Wondering how long this is going to take.

And this is where I quietly go to work.

Because here’s the thing I know for sure
dads love their kids.
That’s the whole game.

Not posing. Not perfection. Not “say cheese.”
Just that.

Step One: See Them

The first thing I do is acknowledge it.

I can see it’s not their natural habitat.
I know they’d probably rather be having a slow coffee or watching sport, mowing the lawn pretty much anything else.

But they showed up.

And that matters.

There’s something powerful in recognising that effort without making a big deal of it. No pressure. No awkwardness. Just a quiet, “hey, I see you.”

Step Two: Drop the Formalities

The fastest way to lose a dad? Make it feel like a “photo shoot.”

So we don’t.

We walk. We chat. The kids run. Someone gets thrown in the air. There’s usually a bad dad joke (or five).

And somewhere in all of that,  everyone forgets the camera is even there.

That’s when the magic starts.

Step Three: Bring the Laughs

Dads are the wildcards.

They bring energy that no one else can. The roughhousing, the shoulder rides, the spontaneous silliness.

You can’t manufacture that. And you don’t need to.

Once they relax, they lead the session in a way that’s completely their own and it changes everything.

Suddenly it’s not something they’re enduring.
It’s something they’re part of.

Step Four: Let Them Win

This is my favourite part.

By the end, something shifts.

They’re the ones suggesting, “Should we grab one more down there?”
They’re the ones checking the light.
They’re the ones fully in it.

And somehow… it feels like it was their idea all along.

Perfect.

The Truth?

Dads bring something to a session that no one else can.

They ground it. They lift it. They make kids feel safe enough to be completely themselves.

And when that happens, the photos stop being about how things look…
and start being about how it felt to be there.

That’s the good stuff.