Let me be honest with you: toddlers do not follow directions. They have opinions, strong ones, about exactly where they want to walk and what they want to touch and whether today is the day they feel like smiling at a stranger with a camera. And yet, somehow, I have never left a session with a toddler without beautiful photos. The secret is not getting toddlers to cooperate. It’s not needing them to.
This post is about what actually works when you’re photographing young children in the Bay Area — drawn from real sessions including a particularly memorable afternoon at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden with a two-and-a-half-year-old who had, as I noted in my session notes, “very strong opinions.”
Why Toddlers Do Not Need to Sit Still for Great Family Photos
Every parent I photograph with a toddler says some version of the same thing before we start: “I’m so sorry in advance.” And every time, by the end of the session, they’re looking at the back of my camera with their hand over their mouth.
The photos that make parents cry — in the good way — are almost never the ones where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling. They’re the ones where the toddler is running full-speed toward the trees, where dad is chasing them mid-laugh, where mom is crouched down at eye level with this tiny wild person she made. Movement is not a problem to be solved. It’s the whole point.
What toddlers cannot do: sit still, perform on command, pretend they’re interested in something they’re not. What toddlers can do: run, explore, play, hug, tackle, point at things, narrate everything happening around them, and occasionally deliver a spontaneous kiss that makes a photo completely unforgettable. My job is to stay close and be ready when those moments happen.
Why the Berkeley Botanical Garden Redwood Grove Works So Well for Young Children
Location matters more than most parents realize when it comes to photographing toddlers. The right location gives young children somewhere to go — something to explore, something to touch, something to be genuinely curious about. And a genuinely curious toddler is a gift to a photographer.
The redwood grove at UC Berkeley Botanical Garden is one of my favorite locations in the entire East Bay for exactly this reason. The trees create a canopy of soft filtered light — dappled, cool, and incredibly beautiful to photograph in. The path winds through the grove with enough open space to move freely, enough texture to be interesting, and enough visual complexity to keep young children genuinely engaged.
For the family I photographed here, the two-and-a-half-year-old who needed convincing at the start of the session was absolutely in her element once we were moving through the grove. She had completely forgotten I was there — which is exactly when the best photos happen. You would never know from the images that there was any convincing involved at all.
A few practical things worth knowing if you’re considering this location: the grove is accessed separately from the main gardens, across the street near the parking lot — get the entry code from the admissions gate when you arrive. The path is not stroller-friendly, so plan to babywear or carry little ones if needed. And note that the grove closes one hour before the main gardens, so plan your timing accordingly.
The Best Family Sessions Feel More Like Play Than Posing
My approach with every family is the same: I guide, I don’t direct. There is a difference. Directing sounds like “everyone look here and smile.” Guiding sounds like “dad, pick her up and spin her — go!” or “walk toward that tree, and just talk to each other like I’m not here.”
With toddlers specifically, the tools I reach for most often are snacks, simple games, and gentle distraction. Snacks ideally before and after the session rather than during — something non-messy, something they love. Games can be as simple as “run to that tree and back” or “can you find something yellow?” The goal is not to manufacture a moment but to create the conditions for real ones to happen.
For the Berkeley session, the turning point came at the Japanese Pool at the end of the afternoon. The newts were there — as they reliably are in the early months of the year — and both kids were completely transfixed. The two-and-a-half-year-old who had needed convincing at the start was now crouching at the edge of the pool, narrating every newt with complete authority. Those photos are some of the most joyful from the whole session. You cannot plan a moment like that. You can only be ready when it arrives.
What Parents Should Actually Focus on Before a Session
Not behavior.
I cannot say this enough. Please do not spend the morning of your session coaching your toddler to smile, reminding them to be good, or building it up as a big important event they need to perform for. That pressure transfers directly onto them and makes everything harder.
What actually helps:
Bring snacks.
Something they love, ideally not sticky or brightly colored. A well-timed snack break can completely reset the energy of a session and gives you a natural moment to reconnect before we move into the next section.
Let them warm up.
Most toddlers need 10 to 15 minutes before they’re comfortable with a new person and a new environment. I build this into every session — we’ll start by just exploring together, no camera pressure, until they’ve decided I’m okay. Once they’ve decided, everything changes.
Wear something comfortable.
For them and for you. If your toddler is in something stiff or itchy or “too nice to get dirty” they will be miserable and it will show. Comfortable kids are happy kids and happy kids photograph beautifully.
Go with the flow.
Some of the most beautiful images from any session come from the unplanned moments — the meltdown that turned into a cuddle, the snack break that became the most connected five minutes of the afternoon, the running-away-from-camera shot that ended up being everyone’s favorite. Let it be what it is.
Why Connection Matters More Than Perfect Smiles
Ten years from now you will not care whether your toddler was looking at the camera. You will care that you can see how much they loved to run, how loud their laugh was, how small their hand looked in yours. You will care that you can remember exactly what it felt like to be in this season — the exhausting, beautiful, too-fast season of raising a young child.
The photos that age best are the ones that look like your actual life. Not a curated version of it, not a performance of it — your life, on a good afternoon, with your people, in a place that was genuinely interesting to your kids. That’s what I’m always trying to make.
Every single one of my sessions with toddlers has produced beautiful images. Not because the toddlers cooperated — they rarely do, fully — but because connection does not require cooperation. It requires presence. And presence is something toddlers have in abundance.
Other Favorite Bay Area Locations for Families with Young Children
The right location makes an enormous difference when you’re photographing young children. Here are a few of my favorites across the Bay Area:
San Francisco — Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park is one of those locations that rewards families who know where to look within it. The Japanese Tea Garden area, the Panhandle, the rose garden near the Conservatory of Flowers — each section has its own character and light, and together they offer more variety than almost anywhere else in the Bay Area. Children have endless room to run and explore, and the park’s mature trees create a canopy of soft, diffused light that photographs beautifully in every season. A natural choice for San Francisco families who want something lush and layered rather than coastal.
Berkeley — Tilden Regional Park
Open meadows, forested trails, and incredible golden-hour light in the hills. Tilden is one of the most versatile locations in the East Bay — there’s enough space for kids to run freely without getting lost, and the variety of settings within the park means we can move through several different looks in a single session.
Oakland — Oakland Hills Redwoods
One of the most dramatic locations in the entire East Bay — towering redwoods, dappled light filtering through the canopy, and a sense of being completely removed from the city even though you’re minutes from it. Children find the scale of the trees genuinely awe-inspiring, and the light in the forest is soft and flattering at almost any time of day. A favorite for families who want something that feels wild and unhurried.
Alameda — Alameda Beach
My home turf and one of my absolute favorites for young families. Children come alive at the beach in a way that is impossible to manufacture anywhere else — the sand, the water, the open space. Alameda Beach is less crowded than most Bay Area beaches and has beautiful open light especially in the late afternoon. Perfect for toddlers who need room to move.
Lafayette — Lafayette Hills
The rolling hills above Lafayette offer some of the most beautiful golden-hour light in the entire East Bay — warm, open, and with that particular quality you only get when the afternoon sun is low and the grass is catching it. Best in spring when the hills are green and in fall when they turn golden. A stunning setting for families who want something expansive and a little unexpected.
Piedmont — Dracena Park
Tucked into a quiet Piedmont neighborhood, Dracena Park offers a combination of open grass and tree cover that works beautifully in almost every season. The shade makes timing more flexible than open locations, which is a genuine advantage for families with young children who can’t always do late evening sessions.
Not sure which location is right for your family? I’ll help you choose based on your kids’ ages, your aesthetic preferences, and the time of year. That’s part of what I do.
BERKELEY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY
Rebecca Pattison Photography, based in Alameda, I photograph families throughout the East Bay and the greater Bay Area — Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, Lafayette, Piedmont, Marin, and beyond. If you’re looking for a Bay Area family photographer who gets it — really gets it, as a mom of two who has lived the toddler season herself — I’d love to work with you.
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