What Is the Best Age for Children's Portraits?

The short answer

The best age for children's portraits is the age your child is right now. If you'd like a plan, the ages we love most are 2, 5, 8, 12, 16, and 18. Each one marks a real change in who your child is becoming.

But there's no bad age to capture your child in a portrait. If you're thinking about it today, that's usually your answer.

"I think we missed it"

We hear this from moms all the time. Sometimes it comes out as "I'll just wait until they're older."

Here's what we tell them. The most important time is right now, because it's on your mind and on your heart. That feeling is worth listening to.

Every stage of childhood is a milestone. Kids change so fast, not just in how they look but in how they think and feel. If you wait for one big milestone, you walk right past a dozen small ones you'll never get back.

The ages we love most

Age 2: pure motion

Two-year-olds don't sit and pose, and we don't ask them to. At this age our job is to entertain. Becky gets down on the floor with them, the apple goes on Alex's head, and Rufus comes out to tickle a few toes. If you're worried your little one is too wild, read What if my toddler won't sit still for pictures?

Age 5: wonder (our favorite)

If we had to pick one age, it's 5. Five-year-olds are so full of wonder. They're teeter-tottering between baby and young person, and you can see both in the same face. That in-between moment doesn't last long.

Ages 5 to 7: please don't wait for the teeth

Moms often ask if they should wait until the new front teeth grow in. Our answer is no. These are some of the best ages of all.

We have portraits of our own kids with missing teeth. That's exactly who they were at that age. Those gaps become the little details you treasure later, because they show how much your child was changing.

Age 8: big dreams out loud

By 8, kids will tell you exactly who they plan to be. Years ago, Alex's dad, Phil, who founded our studio 54 years ago, photographed an 8-year-old girl who announced she was going to be a brain surgeon. She grew up to become a neurosurgeon. Today we have photographed her children and her family.

Age 12: the first glimpse

We'll be honest. Alex used to think 12 was a tough age for portraits. He's changed his mind completely. Twelve is when a child starts moving from little boy or little girl toward teenager. You catch the first glimpse of the young adult they're becoming, and the start of real independence. Ages 16 and 18: who they've become

By the teen years, their opinions have taken hold. They have their own taste in music and their own ideas about the world. At 18, many are about to leave home, which makes a portrait before they go one of the most meaningful you'll own.

How a session changes as your child grows

The portrait session itself grows up right along with your child.

• At 2, we're entertainers. Games, silly sounds, and a lot of patience.

• At 6, we start real conversations. What's your favorite subject in school? What do you want to be when you grow up?

• At 13, we ask that same grown-up question again, and it's fascinating to hear how the answer has changed. Their opinions aren't just forming anymore. They're taking hold.

Those conversations are part of the portrait. They're how we get past the "say cheese" face to the real kid.

They also show us something parents sometimes miss. Your child has their own thoughts, their own music, and their own opinions about a lot of things. It's easy to forget to ask, because to you they're still your baby. A portrait taken at the right moment shows you who they are becoming.

What it looks like when you don't wait

One family has been coming to us every year since their oldest was a tiny baby. That oldest is now 18 and in college. Their youngest is 13.

We've watched those kids grow up from behind the camera. We've seen them develop their own opinions, hold their own conversations, and turn into young adults. Their portraits tell that whole story, one year at a time.

Phil believed in this deeply. He always said photographing children at 2 and 5, and then as they grow, matters so much because these are the things we forget as parents. Sometimes, sadly, we miss them altogether.

"But we're so busy right now"

This is the most common reason moms give for waiting. Practices, school, a calendar that's full every night of the week. We get it. We're parents too.

But busy is a season, and so is childhood. The stages come and go faster than any of us expect, and every passing day holds something you'll miss if you don't capture it. There's no time like the present, because this moment is one you'll never get back.

When you're ready

Our children's sessions take about 30 to 60 minutes, in our Greenville studio, at your home, or outdoors. We photograph children individually, siblings together, or both. It all starts with a relaxed Discovery Call, where we get to know your kids and talk about the ages and stages you want to remember.

Take a look at our Children's portraits and book a Discovery Call.

Your child is growing up fast. Whatever age they are today is the perfect age to remember.