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Question - My children are babies. Can you photograph babies? Answer -I love photographing babies, alone or with one or both parents and/or however you like. Question - My children are very busy toddlers. I can’t imagine how to get them to sit still for a photo. What should I do? Answer - Do you want a still posed photo of them? Photos of children expressing exuberantly are alive and beautiful. I love to follow them with my camera to catch them as their authentic selves. If you would rather have still poses, then we can make that work too. You can help by bringing favorite toys and distractions that are sure to encourage responses you find charming. Question - What should we (the parents of the children) do/not do while the children are being photographed? Answer - For a successful session, it is really important that you understand that any negative commands like “Stop Frowning! Don’t close your eyes! Don’t do that with your mouth…hands…feet…head…etc.” will illicit that exact response in almost every case. Whatever behavior you describe is what is heard and therefore mimicked. (ala “Don’t think about a pink elephant!”) Even mentioning expressive parts of their bodies will activate a range of experimental expressions that can completely derail a session. If you must give commands, think about what responses you want. For example, “That’s a beautiful smile, Jenny/Johnny!” “We love how you are sitting still just like a big person! Isn’t she/he adorable when she/he smiles like that?! I love how sweet she/he is being for the camera!” etc. Question - Would it be better if we parents were not even in sight? Answer - The best you can be is silent and lovingly present. You can relax. I love photographing children. I was a classroom teacher for ages 5 to 11 for many years and can usually develop quick report with most children. I completely honor them and you and usually we get along great. Frequently children do best if the parents are out of sight. Then I can evoke the intrinsic beauty of the child/ren in a natural and lovely way. Some of the most endearing photos of children are of their wonderful innocence and spontaneity. Most rigid poses and cheesy smiles pale in comparison. If we can allow them to be who they are while I work my way around them with a good lens and great lighting, we can usually get some fabulous pictures that you will love. Whether you are quietly there or out of sight can be determined by the way things are going at the time. |
