He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Sometimes kids love me for no particular reason. Like the time last week when I went to the zoo, there was a cute little boy at the meerkat exhibit who couldn’t get enough of me. He pointed at countless pictures of meerkats, apparently just to hear me say they were meerkats. Then, when his mom took him away to look at the animals, he just kept smiling and staring at me instead!

Other times, kids don’t want anything to do with me. I had a session in April where the little boy was happy to be there, but every time he saw me he whined and fussed. He would give me nasty looks and run to mom or dad when he saw me coming. It was a challenging session, but it just meant we had to allow space and time for some good pictures to emerge.

I’ve found over the years that getting honest pictures of children has little to do with whether or not they like me. And the same is true for you.

When you photograph a child, look for things that interest them. Do they linger when they see animals? Do they run to smell the flowers? Maybe it’s mom or dad that they can’t get enough of – or running up and down a hill! Whatever it is, notice it. Then use it to engage them. That thing you’ve noticed is the key to the essence that glows inside. When you let a child lead the way, you see typical moments. There is truth in what’s typical.

When you photograph this way, those who see what you create will feel the sparkle of life in your images. There is an element of patience involved in creating portraits; especially with children. I’ve developed my skill for capturing honest moments through many years of practice. I started working with kids when I was still a kid myself. But that doesn’t mean you have to be a kid to learn to see the sparkle. I often know I’ve found it when I feel a wave of “cute” through my body and I can hardly keep from laughing. It’s joy in its purest form.

Do you have a comment? Please share!