Quick! Get the Camera!

Every Mom and Pop with a camera takes more pictures of their kids than of anything else. Why?

The reason in that they love to look at their cute little faces and record for all time how great they are. The only trouble is that when that moment comes, the children wont cooperate. Its not that children dont like having their picture taken, its just that no child can sit still for more than a few minutes.

Lets assume youve place the children in a perfect setting: one sitting on the floor, one on the stool and another kneeling, sitting on his heels. A favorite tool of mine is a replica of a TV character the children are all familiar with. Elmo, Tinky Winky, or Big Bird will do. This TV friend will hold their attention long enough for you to get a good shot with all eyes toward the toy. Anticipation is the key to keeping their attention and their expressions lively. Lets say Big bird has a terrible urge to jump off the camera where you placed him. You act annoyed an threaten him with the loss of his dessert, or ordering him to bed. At other times he may smell bad so you have to send him to take a bath. The kids of course identify with their friend and delight in the trouble he is causing his elders.

In order to get babies to smile, they have to see your face close up. Small mouth noises in conjunction with peek-a-boo games and seeing you smile will work most of the time. If all efforts fail, a milk break will often put them in a good mood.

Two-year-olds are in a class by themselves. NO amount of ordering, threatening,, or pleading will make them do anything they dont want to do. If a toddler catches on to what you want them to do, that is the very thing he or she WONT do. The secret is to play a game with them in which the child is the one with the power. If the child stamps his feet, you suddenly act out a scene where your finger got stamped on. The very thought of his enemy being hurt fills his little heart with joy. Forgotten are the tantrums in hopes of it happening again. Repetition plays an important part in anticipation.

Children of three and four are shy. They love to laugh but they never want to be the first one. They respond well to questions about their activities, allowing them to receive some welcome praise. Situations that seem humorous to the four year old involve other people being embarrassed, slapstick humor, and odd mouth noises. They also love it when an adult gets hurt: smashed fingers (make believe), knocked heads, or things that go wrong. With all this cutting up, a wise photographer will slow down the pace. A little adult conversation (one sentence or two) will throw a mental bucket of ice on their shenanigans.

Older children wont fall for the slapstick comedy. Real respect for their intelligence is a good way to break the ice and get them to let down their defenses. The only thing that they think is worth laughing at is when their siblings are in trouble. An older child hate so be the center of attention, so use their natural rivalry to create a comedic situation. If thy balk at touching their siblings shoulder in the picture, a little flattery of how much they take care of their younger sister or brother will do the trick. Remember that the expression is ninety per cent of a good picture.

1958 to 1990 - A long time taking pictures.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, June 1st, 2008 at 8:42 am and is filed under Popular Photography . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.