Everyone is a “children photographer” at some point in their lives especially when one ushers in a little junior of oneself. The purpose of photographing your own kids may very much serve a visual archival objective. It doesn’t really matter what expression you can coax out of them; they’re just simply beautiful! After all, they’re a reflection of you.
However, I’ve recently discovered after photographing Eve and Deborah that there are ways you could out wit kids when it comes to “stealing” and freezing the moment. These are absolutely useful tips especially when you try photographing strangers who barely know you. The difficulty scale slides up a few notches when those strangers happen to be energetic, prancing, witty and attention-deficit kids.
Here are top 10 tips on children photography:
- Act curious
Children are easily excited and thrilled by the simplest of things. Everything around them looks unusually distracting if not interesting. You could ogle at a plant as if it was a newfound species or scream in excitement at a bug or a passing dog. As you do, they’ll be drawn to your enthusiasm and lit-up face to check in the fun as well. That’s when you snap. - Act intelligent
Rattle of a series of “Do you know…“. Imagine the confusion on their faces when you launch into some scientific remarks on “Do you know that the spider stays afloat because it has yet to break the water surface tension?” or “Do you know how the lake cleans its very own ecosystem?“. Beware though. The revelation has to be captivating enough lest they grow bored and drop out of conversation. - Make up stories
The key to a successful children photography session is to be constantly on your toes. Keep a wild mind. Keep engaging their attention. Never let the conversation go “dry”. Avoid long pauses. As much as this may sound like your first date, silence may not be so golden for kids. Start with, “I used to have a dog named Boo, that’s B-O-O. He gets bullied often when I bring him out on walks“. Stop there. They’ll go like, “What?! You named your dog a loser?!“. I’ll act innocent. “No! It sounds like a strong gust of wind“. She looks perplexed. You snap. And you move on. Then later on, you continue, “Hey, you know, I was telling you about Boo? You know what happened to him after I…“. Maintain continuity. You get the pic. - Offer riddles
Kids love problem solving, that is, before they grow tired of it. You may pull this from your bag of tricks at various times throughout the shoot. “What’s the most disgusting but delicious food ever?“. “How many Eves can you fit in one car?“. - Name everything around you
“That’s Bob, the dragonfly. And oooh, that’s Aunty Marie, the toad. She looks sleepy perched on the rock by the pond’s edge“. Tell the kids to try naming everything that comes their way; a passing dog, a flying bug, a bush, a tree. Everything! That keeps them talking. - Jokes
Get them to share 3 jokes. If they’re not funny enough, they’ve got to pose for you. You could even pretend laughing. - Look pitiful
Tell them that if they don’t co-operate to let you take their beautiful pictures, you’re going to be punished by their parents to spend the night in this wonderful park alone at night. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want mummy to punish me now would you?“. Or you could even consider, “Your daddy is going to spank me so hard for not being able to capture your smile that I won’t be able to sit down for two weeks!“. - Have a little competition
If you’re photographing more than one child, you could easily get them to compete among themselves. It could be a story telling session, first to arrive in a spot, etc. If it’s just one kid, you could compare the size of your biceps or how big your tummy is compared to theirs. - Feedback
Tell them how they’re doing. “That was an awesome thing you did back there“, followed by a show of the camera’s LCD screen. “Do you know what? You would look even better if you look this way. Mummy’s going to be happy!“. - Get to know them
Ask them for their hobbies. Favourite food or activity. Whatever their replies, build upon it. Weave a story out of that and just let it flow freely. Make comparisons. “Oh really? When I was your age, I couldn’t even climb a tree!“. Empathize.
So there you have it, my 2-cents-worth discovery on how to engage kids in a photography session. I’m sure the above would work very well for children aged 4-10 years old.
In conclusion, the point in children photography is to capture their most natural expressions when they’re truly lost in their own elements; during their intense interaction with you as a talkative photographer.