Photographing Kids

[Ed Shapiro]

Photographing Kids, An article.

ON THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN.

By Ed Shapiro

In the good old days of portraiture, the photography of babies and children constituted a goodly portion of the portrait studio’s income. Really great studies of children were the domain of the experienced professional portraitist. This public conception of the professional portrait photographer was further enhanced by the success of pros like Constance Banister (of The Banister Babies fame) and Joseph Schneider, who’s photographs appeared on just about every baby product ever made and graced Kodak’s advertising layouts for decades. Consumers would drag their little darlings off to the neighborhood photographer to have real nice baby pictures- ya know- the ones with the white backgrounds and the big smiles. The average mom and dad would sooner spend money on professional photographs of their children, than for portraits of themselves. Fast forward to today’s marketplace and you find talented pros trying to compete with Wal-Mart style, run of the mill baby pictures, to no avail. The bargain basement operators are now getting the lion’s share of the kid’s market and oftentimes even in the cases of otherwise high-end buyers. Sure we have all the fancy gear, beautiful backgrounds and props. We do better composition and lighting nicer finishes- so what happened? Well, if there is one thing the hacks have learned is how to get good expressions out of the kids. Stick a cute child in the middle of the picture, add a few licensed cartoon characters or some other obnoxious mish-mash, in the background, a big grin and bingo-and they have the formula for high volume sales. It’s the expression that sells! Most folks, not being aficionados of fine portraiture, are happy enough with the results to spend their money on less than great photography. And if (you digital folks) think you are immune to this- watch out- the angel wings and instant digital images are coming to a Wal-Mart near you- soon!

So what do you do to reclaim you share of the kid’s market? This entails a lot of hard work including client education, public exhibitions, networking and most importantly, sharpening up your skills as a photographer of children. You’ll need to have the product before your marketing program can be launched. ?By the way: ?If you have any phobias relating to screaming babies, nursing mothers, diaper odors, projectile vomiting (yourself being the target), spoiled kids and hyperactive parents, this might not be your fort?. If you can handle it, then read on brave shooter and keep an extra clean shirt in your studio or camera case.

An experienced photographer of children can easily write a tome about the trials, tribulations, techniques, pleasures and rewards of photographing kids. This article will deal with methods of achieving good expressions and some cooperation when making the actual portrait sittings. ? In order to be able to motivate or cajole children to behave or perform during the course of a portrait session, you should possess some basic and practical understanding of child development and psychology. ? I am not talking about these phenomena in a clinical sense, but strictly as a means of relating to babies and children in your daily photographic work. These concepts will be your tools or tricks of your trade, so to speak. ? Knowing what to expect from various age groups is a huge advantage.

My basic concepts are: LITTLE PEOPLEChildren are small (sometimes funny looking) people and should be treated as such. ?don’t do anything to scare them, make them feel physically or emotionally uncomfortable and approach them with warmth and gentleness at all times.PLAYINGFor children, playing is their attempt at living, so you have to get down on the floor and be willing to play. There is no time to be reserved or self-conscious. ? This is agreat time to make a fool of yourself and get paid for it all at the same time. All of the antics that I was admonished for, back in junior high school making animal sounds, doing funny faces, wearing crazy hats, ?intentionally crossing my eyes, tickling other kids, and most importantly, generating rude noises, have all become profitable and essential jobskills.FORBIDDEN PLEASURESEver since Adam and Eve, adults have been into forbidden pleasures. With little kids, these are a lot more simple and innocent. You don’t even need apples or snakes and your chances of being turned into a pillar of salt are virtually nil. ? For kids, forbidden pleasures are playing with the toilet paper, eating too many sweet treats and/or hitting siblings and other kids or, heaven forbid, adults and parents. I hate to tell you this, but most children at certain ages, enjoy a bit of gentle violence. ? This is not the fault of the parents, a genetic defect, the result of watching too much TV, or a serious syndrome in the offing. It’s just the way they come from the factory and it goes away.

These are the big three: Treat babies and children with care, Play with them and use some of those forbidden pleasures to cajole them into a cooperative state of mind. All you have to do now is learn to channel your new insights into practical methodologies and devise the appropriate approach for each age group.

To prepare your studio for these new adventures, you will need to make a sizable investment in some highly sophisticated new gear, some of which is mentioned here: Several rolls of toilet paper or a box of facial tissue, Scotch tape, some gentle noise makers- duck calls are good, some teddy bears and rag dolls, Sponge Bob and a Kermit the Frog or Cookie Monster is handy. As for stuffed animals- keep them clean, classical, photogenic and in key in case they show up in your composition. Gum drops, raisins, and other non-messy goodies should always be supplied by the parents.

AGE 4-8 WEEKS: At this early stage of development babies are almost completely internally driven. There are few things that we can do to influence the baby’s expression. Their eyes can only focus on nearby persons or objects. They might respond to gentle sounds like mom’s voice. Sometimes a brightly colored fluffy little toy will attract a brief gaze. A little tickle on the cheek with some soft tissue paper might raise a tiny expression or a simulated smile (which is really gas or a BM in progress. Try not to refuse to photograph very young babies- if you do that because they are too young, you might not get your client back for subsequent business. Do your best with newborns and try to photograph them in the arms of the mother or both parents.

2 to 3 MONTHS: Now babies begin to socialize a little more. They start to extend their arms out a reach for toys that you are using to attract their attention. Move and shoot quickly so that you don’t get their arms in front of their little faces. ? Gentle noises and a little bit of tummy tickling will work. Discourage doting parents from wildly jangling keys in the baby’s face or overreact with loud noises. ? Have them sing, clap gently and tickle. ?

4 to 6 MONTHS: At four months, babies will really laugh. ? They like to put everything in their little mouths including their feet. ? If blankets or stuffed critters are used as props, you will need to work quickly before these fluffy items are saturated with saliva. Make sure cuddle toys don’t have removable or loose eyes or other parts as baby will swallow them in short order. In the fifth and sixth months their personalities and senses of humor begin to show and they quickly turn into little monkeys, What I like to call the monkey stage? is where the fun begins. ? Funny noises are always a big hit. Balancing things on your head might conjure up a quizzical expression. Blowing small sheet of tissue into the air also works well for me. Some little boys like a bit more aggressive tummy tickling or some very gentle "rough play". from mom or dad. I ask the parent to make contact with the baby and withdraw quickly and I shoot in between tickles. This also helps to direct the baby’s eyes to a pleasing position. Toward the end of this developmental stage, babies will usually sit up and maintain posture with little or no support.
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7 to 9 MONTHS: The "monkey stage" continues. At this point babies become more agile. They roll over, start to crawl and become a lot more mobile. They also tend to concentrate on small objects and will play for short periods of time. At this point the SAFTY FIRST rule must prevail. I work on the floor because babiescan not fall up- they fall down. All my lighting equipment and camera support gear goes right down to the floor. Lots of entertainment is needed to prevent baby from taking off by crawling off the set or rolling over just as you get the best expression. At this stage of development I make more noise, bounce balls up in the air and make more physical contact with the baby. I always approach gently and if he/she reacts badly, I quickly retreat and start another activity like "peek-a boo". I will alternate with parents as entertainer. I quickly adapt to the child’s rhythm and continue to play and shoot. At this age I also find babies to be generally happier with themselves. The start to get their land legs and may try to stand with some support.

10 to 14 MONTHS: Rapid crawling becomes the order of the day. Clinging to the furniture and standing will also happen. More entertainment is needed to hold their attention. You will get more smiles and interesting expressions because baby’s social skills are improving. By 14 months, their sense of humor surfaces to the point where all your shenanigans will be very effective. Flying toilet paper, funny noises, and gentle clapping will be well received. The child’s attention span will slightly lengthen buy can turn to crankiness within seconds. This is where some forbidden treats are handy. Ask the parents to bring along some non-messy treats- cold cereal bits are good. After baby has swallowed and is ready to ask for more, get ready to shoot quickly. Keep a clean damp cloth hand to gently remove crumbs and other residue for baby’s face. If the child is in a bad humor try this- I call it "make mommy into a mattress". I have a thin mattress, which I place, on the floor. I ask mommy to lie down on the mattress and place baby on her tummy. ? I move in for a tight close-up and have mother "bounce the baby". This will usually get the smiles back and help strengthen mom’s abs. This method alleviates the baby’s fear of separation form mommy and is loads of fun for all. This method will also work in combination with forbidden treats and flying toilet paper and/or funny noises. Do not use the mattress technique if baby has had a swig of milk or you may receive a nasty surprise when baby chucks his lunch- all over YOU!15 to 20 MONTHS: GANGBUSTERS- At this stage of their childhood, kids can do the 100 yard dash right out of your camera room. To say they are very active is an understatement. They are discovering and enjoying all their newfound physical skills with a passion. The are into everything. Keep electrical cables out of reach- baby might try to bite into one of them. All sharp items, tools and fragile stuff must be banished from the camera room. A kid can swing into action within nanoseconds, so watch out! Game playing is a good way to curtail some of this action. I find 2 year old like to play with shinny coins. I place a quarter in the floor and tell the child to stand ion it so I can’t take it away. If they wander, I reach for the coin and he/she will quickly jump back into place with a big smile. ? After I get my shots, I reward my subject with the quarter. Costs me 2 bits but I get some very salable full length shots. My favorite- Ask the child if he wants to see a bird fly. Place a sheet of toilet paper on your mouth with your nose pointed at the ceiling. When you assistant is ready to shoot blow the tissue into the air along with a rude noise. You will bring the house down. This also works with grumpy adults and children of all ages.2 to 3 YEARS: You’have heard of the terrible 2s- I don’t know- I think the 3s can be worse. In fact I have a 38 year old daughter (love her) who is still a pain in the backside anyway! The 2s can get in and out of chairs, like to here music and singsong stuff and even be able to pose with a flower or a prop for a few seconds. The attention span is growing and you may not have too much trouble achieving good poses and expressions. At this stage some of that "baby violence" begins to rear it’s mischievous little head. If your subject is sad or lackluster try this. Seat your subject on a comfortable bench with his feet firmly planted on the floor. Ask him to give you a "high five" or a tap or whack on your hand. He might be a bit reluctant at first, but with a little coaxing he will eventually strike. As soon as he makes contact you must over-react in a comical fashion. Fall to the floor in "excruciating pain" distort your hand and sob- “It’s broke!”! “I have to go to the doctor”! By this time the kid is usually consumed by laughter. Shoot-shoot-shoot, complaining all the way- "Quick- get me a Band-Aid" This can prolong your subject’s attention beyond belief. In certain cases it will be necessary wait a few seconds before shooting to allow a manic devilish expression to settle into a grin of great accomplishment. Hitting and adult and getting away with it -wow- a very forbidden pleasure. Also try the toilet paper trick. You will have a friend for life.THREE to FOUR (or early 5th) YEARS: This is the most fun for me! These kids love to play and joke. Silly words and concepts are an art form to this group. ??Hi, My name is Monkey Face, what’s yours?? is always a good conversation starter. “Oh! I like your white dress- are you here for a wedding picture”? This is dynamite stuff, especially if she is wearing a green dress. I refrain from funny faces, as they will tend to imitate these faces rather then laugh at them. If that does happen I react with fright- the smiles resume. If all else fails just say "ishkabibble". or "bliberschnazel". and see what happens.With the right kind of encouragement, these kids can get in to some great dramatic poses and expressions. I might get a child to fold his or her arms on my posing table and place her chin on her wrist. I whisper "let’s surprise mom, dad or grandma with a secret pose- they will think your all grown up”! Kids love to conspire in such plans. I can usually capture dozens of beautiful gentle expressions while involved in such conspiracies. Engaging kids of this age group in actual (photogenic) activities, such as coloring or reading story books can result is many natural and unique “poses”. This ploy works even better with the 5 and 6 year group. See what happens with the TP trick at this age.FIVE to SIX YEARS: This is pure pleasure! These kids want social acceptance and want to please. We can engage in real or funny conversations. You will receive actual feedback. You can get into some more sophisticated poses and will usually get lots of cooperation. This age group is where my display and competition prints come from. If you are patient and giving, these children will reward you with wonderful images- the rest is up to you.SEVEN & UP Just talk with them, not at them. Motivate them as you would an adult, with slight modifications. Too much silliness will put them off. You better bone up on sports, sci-fi, and pre- teen topics. You will be surprised as to what the kids know. I once jokingly asked an 8-year-old boy if he had a little girl friend at school. He did not grind his toe into the carpet and look away shyly, instead, he told me he had 5 girlfriends and proceeded to name and describe all of them in short order. He even referred to one of them as that cute little blond who sits across from him in the lunchroom. Consider yourself warned! Remember kids are simply smaller people on the road to adulthood. Watching and recording them getting there, is part of a portrait photographer’s life.

APPLYING YOUR METHODS: As I wrote at the beginning of this article. Babies and kids are simply little people. Just like adults, not everyone reacts exactly the same way to any given stimulus. Always approach every child gently. If any of the above methods seem to scare the child, switch to something else immediately. Lowering your voice and moving more slowly will help. All children need time to acclimate to new surroundings and people. Don’t use all your methods up too early in the game. When the child arrives at my studio, I simply greet them with a smile or a wave and give them time to check things out. And here is the most important principle of all: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Some babies and children are jolly individuals who will smile at just about anything. If that is the case just shoot. Some of the tactics I have discussed are meant to distract, attract and cajole reluctant, frightened or crying babies and children. If the kid you are photographing is a ham- just go for it. Always ask the parents about nap and feeding times for their baby. There is no sense in bringing a tired or hungry child in for a sitting. Hard crying feeds on itself and there is no way to remedy the problem except for re-scheduling the session at a better time.

PARENT MANAGEMENT: You will need the parent’s total cooperation to make effective and beautiful studies of babies and children. During the course of a sitting the parents can be your best ally or (unintentionally) the bane of your existence. If not properly briefed, even the most well meaning parent can blow an entire sitting. With younger kids, the parent must be there to prevent fear of abandonment, a leading cause of fear in young children. I tell the parents that I am counting on their help in achieving good expressions. I mention a lost of parental no-nos that are counterproductive. The big ones are over preparing the child by saying things like "don’t forget to smile for the photographer", "behave yourself" etc, etc. If this happens you will end up with a kid with a fake (jaccolantern) smile pasted on his face. If the parent becomes nervous before the session, this reminds the child of similar parental reactions before going to the doctor or the dentist- Not good! I advise the to explain to the child that they are going to have a lot of fun, play with some toys and take some pictures. The less fussing the better. When they arrive at the studio, I immediately assign "jobs" to the parents and
nquire as to who has the fastest reflexes and who the best entertainer is. The one with the fast reflexes gets to be the safety person while the entertainer helps me with the expressions. The other ground rules include such items as not admonishing the kid for not cooperating or becoming exasperated during the sitting. By the time I am finished with parents, they are too tired to interfere with me. They always say, that they can’t believe I do this every day and pay my sitting fee with pleasure and appreciation. Just add some of these techniques to you already artful photography and you will reap the rewards and give those Wall-Mart type guys a run for their money. You’ll be the expert who really knows kids- and don’t forget to charge a fee that is commensurate with your skills.TECH NOTES: I work with a Hasselblad ELX with the 80mm, 100mm 120mm 150mm and 250mm lenses. I prefer Portra 160 NC for kids. My studio is equipped with Photogenic lights suspended from a rail system. Weather permitting, I like working out of doors with natural light, gobos and reflectors. When working with children, I always work with an assistant.Personal Note: It today’s harried world of professional photography with all it’s crushing deadlines, demanding brides and rushing executives there are times when I simply enjoy sitting on the floor, camera in hand, and playing with the children. To be able to capture the innocence of childhood, the fleeting expressions and moments that will be never again repeated, in an artful fun filled manner is indeed a wonderful experience. Ed.

[felix.reichardt]

Great, lots of useful info Thanks!

[oldugly]

Ed, Waited until there was time to read and digest this. Am so glad I waited. On the 4th reading I was still learning. Now all I have to do is find a baby. Thanks so much.

[April]

As always, great info, thanks so much for sharing. It's something I really need right now because a relative has asked me to photograph their one month old, so this is perfect. Thanks again!

[Take12]

Can you please post your long copy in NON-bold typefaces, Ed? This is like being shouted at all the time. Tiring and tiresome. I don't read long copy like that because of that tiring and tiresome typography! And I bet I'm not the only one!

[Ed Shapiro]

Didn't know!

That article was stored in my hard drive- I suppose that when it was copied and pasted to this forum the typeface changes. That also seems to happen when I compose my posts in "word" and then copied and pasted. Those posts were originally typed in "Times New Roman" Sample:: Specimen - bold version or This or Bold.

This seems to be the default setting on this site.

I am sorry that you find some of my posts "tiering and tiresome"- I know you had alluded to this matter before but you were not specific- I think you wrote something like "bad plan". I though you were refereeing to the content.

Well- I am a PHOTOgrapher not a TYPEographer but in any case, please suggest a typeface that you prefer and I will be more diligent and ACCOMMODATING in future !

I have not received any other complaints regarding the bold type- I though upper case letters connoted "SHOUTING" in matters of INTERNET protocols. There are, however, have been complaints regarding the length of some of my posts but most folks have sent me good comments on the comprehensive nature of my contributions. I suppose the majority wins.

For anyone who has been inconvenienced by my reckless choices of typography please accept my sincerest apologies. I hope the content of theses articles and posts have proved to be somewhat compensatory for any real or imagined difficulties in reading.

I do consider myself a good communicator but it's a good thing theses forums are not in telephony mode. I have a composite accent: There is Brooklyn and then 1 year of army train in the south have left me with certain words and phrases that are permanently embedded in my brain. Now I live in Canada. In conclusion- I talk funny. At least when I write I can edit out some of theses foibles and bleep out the cussing. before I hit the post button.

Sooo... if anyone wants to correct my spelling, grammar, style, phrasing or anything else, please feel free to do so.

I know that bad typography may be hard to read but it ain't all that easy to write detailed and comprehensive articles either- so y'all take them for what they are worth. I accept the old adage "It's not what you say it's how you say it". Now I'll have to augment that "It's not what you say but it's how you format it". OK- I can live with that.

Ed

[12stones]

Ed, if people don't want to read your words because they're in bold, then they're missing out. Type how you want to. It's worth reading no matter how you format it, so let the reader choose if they'll work for the information. Thanks for posting this... I can't wait to comb through it in depth more.

[Songman45]

Don't sweat it Ed. I recognized the formatting issue. It seems to be common in many text posting sites that Word doesn't copy and past with that famous seamless intagration we've all come to love and respect [loathe and detest]. Anyone with a desire to benefit from your words would simply overlook what obviously was a formatting incompatibility and not an intentional shift in type faces.

Keep in mind too, that there is a small, albeit noisy, faction among us who must be heard. When they have nothing constructive or substantive to add, they resort to such commentary. I'm sure with your advanced life experience and wisdom you can identify petty childish behavior when you see it. Those with the attention span of a goldfish will probably not benefit from any detailed text. One will only learn what he is willing to learn. I know people who have placed more importance on learning everything they wanted to know about a topic than a greater discomfort than irritating type faces.

By the way, brainiac: You can copy the text and past it into a word processor and change the formatting to anything that suits you.

[patterfr]

Wow.
Great post Ed.
Whatever the type/format, although I prefer 12 point gothic font, can you take time out of your day and format it so that I can read it more comfortably. I also like a cool drink while I read and, also, to be fanned so that a cool breeze is simulated. COuld you do that for me Ed? Otherwise, ya know, I'm not gonna read the wealth of information that you have provided out of the goodness of your heart. FOR free. Man, Ed, what were you thinking?

[Ed Shapiro]

SAMPLING OF TYPE In the good old days of portraiture, the photography of babies and children constituted a goodly portion of the portrait studio’s income. Really great studies of children were the domain of the experienced professional portraitist. This public conception of the professional portrait photographer was further enhanced by the success of pros like Constance Banister (of The Banister Babies fame) and Joseph Schneider, who’s photographs appeared on just about every baby product ever made and graced- End of sample!

My goodness! I really did not know! Y'all have to excuse me because I really did not know that I could convert the typeface right here without even going back to WORD. See- I did dat!

Before the days of digital photography the computer in my office was simply and office appliance to write letters, writing bills and invoices, doing accounting and keeping track of inventory- not an artistic instrument. My electric pencil sharpener on the retouching desk was more important and indispensable to me that the computer. I was a latecomer to the bloody thing which we all have become dependent on, not only for office procedures but more importantly, the very production of our work. Even to this day, I still consider myself a computer klutz and still haven't found out about all of the functions and shortcuts. Accept for PhotoShop I am a computer dummy especially when I compare my skills to those of my 14, 13, and 11 year old grandchildren. The only one I can beat out is the 3 year old but I think she is doing keyboarding in pre-school!

The only thing I can boast about is my 90 WPM speed which is a left over from my amateur radio days on the teletype machine. Accuracy? Lets not talk about that!

Wow! Is this ever fun, Thank y'all for you kind words and advice.




So from now on, if anyone doesn't like my typography, simply select all- pick your own type face and size and fix it yourself, as per your own taste before attempting to read. Just like coffee!So from now on, if anyone doesn't like my typography, simply select all- pick your own type face and size and fix it yourself, as per your own taste before attempting to read. Just like coffee! SEE- How cool is that?

Ed

[Ed Shapiro]

Hey Fran- If you ever come up here for a visit, I can supply the cool breeze and cold beer- all on the house. All I can say now as the do in the UK is say "cheers and beers" and thanks for you kind words. Ed

[angelsfort]

Ed, as others have stated, don't let the few compainers stop you from posting your informative and useful additions to the Camel !!

I don't ALWAYS read every word that you write - sometimes the topic is only of slight interest to me and I don't want to invest the time in reading it word for word...

but there are other topics (such as this one) that I will read every word, and then copy and paste it over into a word document and save it on my computer so I can reference it later without being online.

I value your experience and your willingness to share it with those of us who are less experienced (or NON-experienced!).

One of my best friends is a Canadian and we go visit her parents every now and then... they live in Welland. I'm sure that's a couple of hours away from you though...

It's COLD up there!! Are you keeping warm??

[Ed Shapiro]

Hi D!

Thank you for you kind words and encouragement. Sometimes I would rather hear complaints rather than having no response at all- feedback and question are good in a forum format other wise I get feeling like the radio DJ playing classical music at 3AM knowing full well that there ain’t nobody listenin’.

I don’t get flustered by complaints and I try to fix things if I can. If people want to read my stuff, why should I make the text difficult to read? When “complaints get silly and I feel the complainant is doing it just to rattle my cage- I just respond with a bit if sarcasm or I simply- tell them off on the spot- no use harboring grudges- I prefer to shake hands over cyber space and be friends. Some folk get kicks out of turning in false fire alarms- so in comparison, this stuff is pretty benign.

Just incase you didn’t know, I have been in the photography business now going on 51 years and a have also been a teacher as long as that. I have always ended up training staff for my former employers and then for myself when I opened my own studio in 1970. I believe in explaining things as comprehensively as possible so that “students” are not left to flounder around and go on to the next level without knowing all the information the need. That’s why the long and detailed posts and articles.

To get the most out of what I write it is a good idea to print out some of the text for later reference at your leisure. The reason being is that often there is information embedded in material that you may not be totally interested in but will help you in other phases of your work- you’d be surprised- especially if I run off on some tangent. I write like I talk- fast and all over the place and unlike my more disciplined technical writing, I have no time to edit forum stuff so what ever rolls out of my head ends up on your screen- I do try, however, to edit out the bad words so that on one is offended.

I wish I could write more but my time is limited in that I am still operating a full time studio. I contribute to 2 other forum but it is not too active lately. I am aver fast but not too accurate typist but an article or post only takes me a few minutes and I can do my stuff on slow days, at lunch while sipping a coffee or late at night when I can’t seem to sleep. I enjoy writing very much and if 1 or 2 photographers can benefit- I’m cool with that.

I am pleased that you enjoyed the “baby” article- it is the result of being vomited on- assaulted, and made fun of, for 50 years, by the little angles and devils. Nonetheless, it’s a nice break from the adults and all the clowning around keeps me fit and gets those endorphins running.

Sincerely, Ed

[shajufx]

Great reading and tips ! Will try to practice some of it soon ! Thanks

[SyCo]

Great stuff, THANKS ED!

[Photosus]

Thankyou so much for sharing this tutorial, Ed. I have been searching the web for exactly such an article.

I have one question. Sometimes when I photograph children I come upon some children that seem to want to ruin the session just to provoke their parents. They simply refuse to look at the camera, and hide their faces or refuse to sit in the uplighted area. Or they whine or cry when asked to do something.

Do you have any suggestions about how to handle such children?

Sometimes it has helped for me to take some photoes of the children and just show them the lcd screen on my camera, to get their attention, but it does not always work.

[Ed Shapiro]

If you read into the article again you will notice many methods to distract children under various circumstances. Children are just small people and have the same mood swings as anyone else and some simply have a propensity for bad behavior. Understanding some of theses behaviors is part of the job of a photographer who specializes in children’s portraiture or does a lot of family work. Of course, much of this depends on the child’s age or stage of development. 2 and 3 Year olds will oftentimes say “NO” to everything- just to stay on the safe side.

Nowadays, in families, in many cases both parents have to work and place their kids in daycare. Many of theses children feel abandoned at times and when their parents are with them, they may experience a barrage of medical appointments for shots, dental visits, haircuts, and all sorts of encounters that they don’t particularly enjoy. By the time the kid gets to your studio the poor thing is a wreck full of fear and anxiety. Parents oftentimes lie to their kids and tell them things like “the shots wont hurt” and when they do sting a bit the child looses trust in his or her own parents. The same parents will then turn around at tell the poor kid that “the photographer won’t hurt you” and the kid is thinking “yeah right mom- just like that dude in the white coat who just finished shoving a needle in my rear end and it still hurts after 3 days”!

Sometimes I think that the kids misbehave because the really DO want to take revenge on their absentee parents. Many times the “nanny” does a better job of calming down the kids than the mom- what does that tell you? Sadly enough, there are children with behavioral issues such as attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity and sometimes they are just spoiled silly. Some kids are just plain shy and need lots of cajoling to get them to do what you need them to do.

NEVER ASK A RELUCTANT CHILD TO DO ANYTHING- THEY JUST WON’T FOLLOW COMMANDS. When you are confronted by a difficult child simply choose you method as described in my article such as acting like an idiot, bribing with forbidden pleasures, hitting, throwing things up in the air, making up silly stories, asking silly questions, balancing things on your head, making animal sounds, playing with toys or whatever method seem age-appropriate to you. Carry on theses activities in the direction where you want the child to look or turn his or her head- don’t say “look at the camera” and delete the word “smile” from you vocabulary unless you want the child to look like a jaccolantern with a hideous fake grin- real smiles come from your entertaining them.

If you enjoy working with kids, they will pick up on that and you will usually prevail. If you hate it, they will pick up on that as well and they drive you right into the old asylum. Hey- I never said this was easy work!

I hope this helps. Ed

[Songman45]

Originally Posted by Photosus

Sometimes when I photograph children I come upon some children that seem to want to ruin the session just to provoke their parents. They simply refuse to look at the camera, and hide their faces or refuse to sit in the uplighted area. Or they whine or cry when asked to do something.

Do you have any suggestions about how to handle such children?

Sometimes it has helped for me to take some photoes of the children and just show them the lcd screen on my camera, to get their attention, but it does not always work.

I'm not Ed but I've had a lot of experience in photographing children and thus a lot of experience with difficult children. Before I begin, I will say that there are times when no matter what you know, what you do, how much skill you have, the ill behaved child (read also: Total Brat) will not cooperate and the choice has to be made to end the session.

First a children's photographer has to know and be ready for some common dynamics. We used to have a set of conditions called age appropriate behaviors, I believe a more permissive more politically correct and generally less mature society of parents (know known as primary care givers) causes us to no longer feel there are any inappropriate behaviors at all, and for no reason should be make anything age specific as me may damage the ego or unbalance a little angel's chi. Here are some of the standard ideas from days gone by (mind you human nautre is slow to change but opinions are fast). Newborns sleep alot, have very shallow vision, and respond to noises more than visual stimulation. Babies at about 3 months are capable of holding their heads up for long enough to photograph them posed that way. 6 months old they are able to sit on a table (not a chair). 9 months they can stand with some assistance like something sturdy to pull up on. 1 year is the dumfounded look year. Though they CAN stand or sit in a short chair they are intellectually challanged. Cutting theeth tends to cause the mouth to be open in a gape and a river of drool pour much of the time. Many of the 1 yr old pics are a child with his mouth open staring blankly at nothing. Thus we called it the dumbfounded year. Guess what comes next? the terrible twos. The two year old is a challenge for a couple of reasons. #1 He has begun exploring a world that he did not realize has (or is supposed to have) invisible boundaries. This is the "no-no" year as the average two-year old will hear the word "no" 10,000 times more than at any time in his life. This is the time when a child discovers there are scarey unknowns too. It's also the "run to momma" year. When photographing the two year old child it is paramount to keep the parent very near and let the child discover that the photographer is not the doctor. A room, stools, funny lights and someone in charge - the similarity is uncanny. IF you have a full-blown studio with a waiting room its even more alike. Two year olds are uncooperative because they are uncomfortable and because they are learning that they CAN make some choices. They disagree with things because they can. Hopefully this is a short phase of life. If a kid is going to be a brat, he's learned how between 9 mos and 3 years.

Ages 3,4, and 5 are great. Kids can communicate and find things funny. These are beyond a doubt the easiest kids to photograph next to the 3 month old. Its also the age when structured schooling kicks in. Social pecking orders are learned beyond the household. And this is when things begin to fall apart. Here's about where I bet you will begin having troubles.

The clowning years. These are the kids who we are entertained with by being portraied as shin kicking, toe stomping, "I DON'T WANNA". Anything that the child has decided is to be unpleasant will be. I chalk this sort of behavior to poor raising and a lack of disclipline. You can't rationalize with them, and you will not make them do what they don't want to. Don't bother bribing and don't think their cross attitude will go away with a distraction. They have long attention spans if they choose to. These are the kids who are most likely to exercise the power to end a session. Watch the zookeepr and you'll get an idea of how its going to play out. If the parent is week, he/she will rationalize and bribe. This plays right into the control rush of the child. Quickly the child realizes he's pulling the strings and he's driving the bus. Don't let momma beg and plead, it never works. Move to another approach. You have to turn the kid into an allie rather than adversary. Ignore the child and get mom to hush. Since he doesn't like you (and the feeling is mutual) then sideline the sitting (with the kid posed nearly as possible and everything sset to shoot) do something else. When you quit fighting to take the picture the fight is over. Now the little erchin is going to watch you, so give him a show. Keep your distance and do something self-destructive (bump your head, get electrocuted, spill water down the front of your shirt - Think 3-Stooges). Once you have been injured Jr. will be happy. He's won the battle and didn't have to lift a finger. He giggles or fights back the urge. You respond as appropriate to coax the expression. Pick on the parent. You'll win 1 out of 3 and once the kid discovers he can do something fun, he'll play. Most expecially if its at the expense of your dignity or discomfort.

One thing that has to be avoided at all costs. DO NOT ALLOW the parent to take Jr behind the woodshed for a little understanding about manners and behavior. This is always disasterous. If it comes to that, call the receptionist in and re-schedule the whole setting. A child who returns with an injured bum or a hurt bit of pride will not give you pretty pictures and he will equate the entire session as punishment.

I seldom had trouble with the out and out brat child. When you make your living looking into the very window of people's soul you learn to read fast. Body language and eyes will tell you instinctively what tools you are going to need. You have about 15 seconds to make your subject, no matter who they are, your allie.

Pre-sitting consultations can not be over stressed. Have mom come in with the child, discuss things WATCH THE KID and find out what we are expecting out of the session. Find out what sorts of existing portraits the family already has. Explain to mom that posing can be a challenge for some and you want to make sure you offer poses that won't stress the child out. You'll find out if Jr has bit the last three photographers, or closes his eyes. Its also a great time to get to know the kid and give him a little primer. Take him in the camera room, show him the lights let him trip the flash and tell him how much fun he's going to have when he comes back in a few days. Suddenly, something about coming back is giong to be his idea and he's going to get some sort of pay-off like getting to take a picture with your camera. Get the reward idea planted up front. If Little Joey is allowed a soda then as a parting agreement tell him what's going to happen, "Okay Joey, you come back in three days and we'll go in there and get your picture made then we'll have a soda and look at them on this computer right here and if mom behaves I'll let you take her picture when we are all done". Now he's got a reason to come back, something to work for not a bribe when he knows he's got mom over a barrell.

Only about 3% of all challenging kids ultimately cannot be photographed. Do not expend too much energy once you find you have one of those.

Once a kid is 13 or so you have a total different set of norms and counters. Most times these kids just need you to make them friends. You can begin using the same people skills you'd use with an adult. The worse is probably "Mom made us and we don't want to" Now you can rationalize. Get them involved and ask them a gazillion open ended questions, just like selling. Again, sometimes sideling the setting is great. Don't talk about photographs talk about things they like. Learn to speek teenageese. What do kids this age do? Wii, Music, and the stupidity of adults make good conversation. Once engaged in a little small talk taking portraits is much like shooting a candid, only they are sort of posed.

There are a few things, I hope some of them are helpful.

Steve

[Ed Shapiro]

Steve! Super post! Lots of practical material. When you work with children you learn things that can not be found in books or even in classes. It is great that you have shared your experienced and thoughts. It is true that we are living in a totally different society than we did 10 years ago and the differences in values and lifestyles have affected the children. There are parents that really don't understand parenting because they are preoccupied with other endeavors. There are kids who are now going through the terrible 2s or 3s but without certain values the will eventually experienced the terrible 16s and so on.

I don;t like to generalize, but I oftentimes find that kids of other cultures, where more traditional parenting is still practiced, are aloft easier to get along with. How can we amuse or distract a child with simple entertainment when the kid's room looks like a an arcade filled with electronic games and computers. Many kids learn their behavior from violent and noisy television cartoons and act some of this out when the are relating to adults.

I suppose I am lucky- I must have sent perhaps half a dozen kids home in 50 years. I do, like yourself, have the advantage of holding the pre-sitting consultations so some of the problems can be detected at the get-go. It is true that kids who have been to the studio before the sitting will react much better.

When things go sour, the parents are oftentimes to blame, As you said, the under prepare or over prepare the kids, the get all wound up and nervous and this emotional attitude rubs of on the children.

Thanks for your post and you contribution to the tutorial.

Ed

[Photosus]

Thankyou both for sharing your experiences. I take it to heart and will incorporate it in my childrens photography. I appreciate it very much.