I love my little man! And strangely enough he was totally into posing for pictures with me last weekend. Its a rare occasion that he actually looks at me when I have a camera in my hand. I sympathize with so many of you who have that same problem with your children and believe me you are not alone. And as much as I would love to be part of every milestone and every special moment in all my client’s lives, It’s also unrealistic.
So as you enjoy pictures of my boy, scroll down and take a look at some of the tips I have included.
1. SAY CHEESE!
Um NOOooo avoid cheese like the plague. If you have had a session with me, you know that word is TABOO in my studio! Instead say … “SILLY HEAD”…. or “PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANAS” … It doesn’t really matter what you say, but keep changing it up until you find one that makes your child giggle. Notice, neither of these above photos is of him looking at me or the camera, yet the most natural, beautiful smiles are present. Maybe I am bias, but these photos make me smile! I can hear him giggling!
2. TAKE 10.
I know many people think calling the child’s name will get their attention, but after a while, he/she will just drown out your voice, especially if his/her name is called continuously. Try taking a 10-20-30 second break and say nothing at all. Many times your child will engage in an activity (my little trick is putting a sticker on the floor right in front of them) or play with a toy near by. Give them a few to be themselves and allow them a break from stimulation overload from mom/dad/grandma/aunt trying to get their attention. The above photo shows my son just “being a boy”…. It show’s him “in action” having fun, being himself.
3. “LOOK AT THE CAMERA”.
Try not to focus on having the child look at the camera. Instead focus on bringing out their personality and allowing them to interact with others. It’s the way you will (and want) to remember them. “The busy bee”. “Little guy on the move”. “Independent and strong”. Allowing children to be who they are avoids meltdowns and disappointments (which can create photo time an issue down the road), this is especially true at the 2-3-4 year age. And you’ll probably find the most natural smiles (and stress free facial expressions) will actually be of your child NOT looking at the camera.
4. EXPLORE.
Exploring has been one of the greatest photo ops. Take a hike at a park (with no distractions of a playground) or it can even be as simple as going on a “bug hunt” in the back yard or “dress up time”. Use your imagination…pretend that old tree stump is a “train” (trains are my kid’s weakness)! And in this shot above, he was so into the train theme, he turned a smiled for a couple of shots!
5. HAVE FUN!
And most importantly, HAVE FUN. When your kids see you goofing around and having fun, they are sure to join in the activity too.
by Natasha Beccaria
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