How to Photograph Children
For Photographers & Clients
I have a few local photographers that come to me and ask me to mentor them and help them grow but honestly when it comes to the technical side of photography I can't offer much assistance. I am not afraid to tell people that I am the luckiest photographer on the planet. I learned my camera by playing with it, finding out what works and what doesn't. I constantly mix up the shutter speed and aperture (watch them be the same thing). I do not like to read manuals or long draw out tutorials. I am a watch & do kind of person. I ask my mentor Christina Hamre a lot of questions and when she responds I tell her I don't speak Spanish...I have no idea what she is saying. I am okay with that because I guess God just blessed me! But what I do know is children. It could be that we have four but I'm pretty sure it's because at times I still am one. Here are 5 simple tips I believe that could help a photographer and clients when photographing children. I do not claim to be an expert and a lot of this is common sense that sometimes we just forget but if it helps just one person I will feel good.
Rule number 1: 95% of all children do NOT want to be photographed. In the times of digital cameras this generation is the most documented and photograph of all time. From the time they are born they see flashes and asked to say cheese. To a child this gets old fast! My daughter is a prime example. Yeah you see a lot of beautiful photos of sweet Katie but I will tell you this, she is not sweet. Most of those beautiful portraits were torture on both of us. I am lucky that Ryan has yet to hit that I hate camera stage, but trust me it is coming. One thing you really need to remember is that you do not want to miss the experience by photographing it. All you will remember is the photos and not the emotion. If it is a really important day, get someone else to take the video or pictures so you can enjoy the whole experience. & I'm not telling you to hire a professional for every major event in your child's life. Just pass your camera over to someone that its not as important to. Your child will remember you enjoying it with them, not you behind a camera. Save the professional pictures for special milestones and with your child not having a camera always pointed at them they might find it a bit more fun and refreshing.
Rule number 2: Do not be above bribing a child! I love and abuse this rule! & when you stop looking at it as bribery and as a life lesson it becomes easier to do. I am not a big fan of "well if you do this I will give you this" because I do not want my children to grow up thinking everything they do deserves a reward or they are owed something they didn't earn. Unfortunately that is the world we live in today and there is nothing we can do but try to change the generation. I use "bribes" as a goal. If you work for me you EARN this. I am not going to give it to you. I never just give children anything, they have to earn it. If you do well at your job (taking great pictures) you will earn this lollipop. Children know how to work you and if you let them beat you then you have lost. I never give in. I don't say okay you can have this but you better take good pictures because I know they wont. They know they can get more if you break. I understand that parents don't want to upset their children at photo time because of red faces and tears but guess what, thanks to photoshop I can edit them out but you cannot edit out bad behavior. Now I NEVER correct a parent or tell them how to talk, raise, punish or reward their children during a session but I never back down when it is my call. The more I see that child the more of a relationship we build and they know if they do good things for me I will come through. Don't be afraid to be a parent during a session whether you are the client or the photographer, no matter how the photos come out its how the child turns out is what matters!
Rule number 3: Have fun! Don't be afraid to be silly! They are children and children don't want to follow instruction they want to be children and have fun. The best portraits are not of them sitting there with this big grin on their face, they are the ones that capture who they truly are. Play games and tell jokes. I have gotten my kids to give me the most unforgettable beautiful true smiles by simply saying the word fart over and over again! They will genuinely laugh or smile at things they believe are silly. Don't get stuck having the child say CHEEEESSSEEE over and over again, it gets old & fake smiles follow. There are so many words that have that smile affect. Pick one that fits the child and keep throwing out a couple like its a game. You will get a great smile. I have used party, three, me, happy...
Rule number 4: Eliminate distractions. Too many people vying for the child's attention is going to distract and frustrate them. The photographer should be the child's main focus. It is their job to entertain them and get them to smile. If the photographer can't connect with the child then one parent should stand beside or behind the photographer to get them to look. Them looking in every other direction can take away from the photograph. Talk to your photographer and let them know what kind of things make your child happy or smile. That way the photographer can use it to not only get the child to look in the direction of the camera but also bond with them and feel comfortable with them. If you find a photographer that your child loves being around, keep them!
Rule number 5: Sometimes it is okay to step away. A child can feel your frustration and then they start to feel it too. You can just walk away and let the photographer do their thing and try to bond with the child. Once they create that bond and comfort with each other the true emotion of the child will shine through and be easier to capture. But the same goes for photographers, you can't get frustrated at the child. Let the parent take them, calm them down and make them happy again. Slowly rejoin and let the child know that you can be trusted.
I hope this helps not only the photographers and parents but the children as well. These things have worked for me and even though I can't help out with the technical side, I hope I can help with how I get children to work with me. I think my relationship with the children is why my photos turn out as well as they do and why I have so many returning clients.
This photo was taken saying fart over and over again. Asking them who farted...
