Knowing exactly what to bring to your child’s first photoshoot or headshot can be tough and even slightly stressful. It is really important to bring snacks for your kid to munch on throughout the day, but some foods can actually be quite problematic. Stained lips, cheesy fingers, and just overall messy foods are all things we want to try to stay away from to make everyone’s experience the most enjoyable! Below are some examples of snacks to avoid bringing to your child’s shoot.
Snacks to avoid:
Anything that gets messy on the hands, face, and clothes, such as chocolate, orange Goldfish, Doritos, or Cheez-its. If your kid is a really picky eater and these are their go-to’s, try a different flavor such as white cheddar. Similar taste but you no longer have to worry about the bright orange cheese dust!
Any foods which can stain the mouth and tongue, such as hard candy with colors like red, blue, green or orange. Some that I see often are lollipops, jolly ranchers, and even skittles! Really just try to stay away from any artificial dyes or bright colors.
Foods that can get stuck in teeth and/or braces, such as gummy bears/worms, licorice, fruit snacks, and dried fruit. It ends up being more of a hassle for them (and probably you) to have to spend time cleaning their teeth on the set!
It’s best to stay away from chewing gum on set. No one wants to run into a hair disaster! Also it can slightly distort the shape of the mouth in photos.
Any colored beverages such as Gatorade, dark colored juices, or sodas such as grape or orange. These will usually leave a ring around the child’s mouth which can be very hard to remove without causing further irritation!
Now let’s get into the things that we encourage you to bring!
In the best scenario, photo shoots offer catering and craft services, which provide fun snacks.. However, on smaller shoots, snacks may not be available, and it is important to have some energy providing foods for your child. Here is a short list of foods that can give you and idea of what may be good to have on hand:
Pretzels
Banana
Yogurt
String cheese
Graham crackers
Peanut butter sandwiches *make sure to check with other parents that no one has nut allergies.
Apple slices
Water, seltzer, clear beverages
I hope this gave you an idea about what you should, and should not be bringing to your next shoot! As always, feel free to email me with any questions!
