photographing children photo workshop sample chapter

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ADVICE FOR THE ASPIRING PROFESSIONAL

BE INSPIRED

RESOURCES FOR INSPIRATION

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY

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© Jeff Woods / www.jwportraitlife.com.



Photographing children is not for the faint ofheart. Just ask any child photographer and youwill hear enough stories about fussy newborns andstubborn toddlers that it might make you thinktwice about this genre of photography. Certainly,a bowl of fruit is much more cooperative than an18-month-old. You can take your subject, set upthe light just right, and spend all afternoon work-ing the angles for the perfect shot of fruit. Not sowith children.

Subject to every whim of the children they pho-tograph, the children’s photographer must be partPied Piper, part parent, part psychologist, and, ohyes, part photographer. Making images of chil-dren can tax you in every possible way. Chasingthem is a physical workout, while trying to coax a2-year-old (or a 14-year-old, for that matter) tosee things your way takes every psychological skillin your arsenal. Add to all this the technicalchallenges of learning photography in generaland your camera in particular, and you might feellike giving up before you even start.

While photographing children may not be theeasiest hobby or way to make a living, it mightturn out to be one of the most rewarding adven-tures you ever pursue. Children simply are themost fascinating subjects. For example, youngchildren haven’t learned to be guarded and self-conscious; every thought and mood is right ontheir faces, which makes for images with greatexpression. Sometimes, you lift your camera atjust the right moment, the planets align, and youget a shot of something so amazing that all the

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rest of it falls away and you realize that you are inlove with photographing children.

Parent or professional, being successful at chil-dren’s portraiture requires you to get seriously intouch with your inner child, and to reach deepand find out what really inspires you both visuallyand emotionally. This chapter explores what youshould know when beginning the journey intophotographing children and offers a startingpoint for inspiration.

ADVICE FOR THE ASPIRINGPROFESSIONALJudging by the popularity of digital cameras thesedays, it’s apparent that photography has becomean international pastime, if not a downrightobsession. Prices and availability have made cam-eras more affordable than ever, and technologycontinues to enable point-and-shoot technologythat results in amazingly good exposures. Eventhe camera in your phone can turn out a decentimage. What is it, then, that pushes one over theedge to want to become a professional photogra-pher, to make images that are better than therest, good enough to be called, dare we sayit...art? Has being a photographer been a lifetimedream? Or have the improving photographs ofyour own children caused friends and neighborsto ask if you’ll photograph their kids? Do youhave a true love for and patience with children?Are you willing to put up with a shy child who



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doesn’t want to leave their mother’s side as in 1-1or do you have the patience to wait for a new-born to fall asleep in her father’s arms?

Before you dive head-first into the business ofphotography, think about what draws you in andwhat your aspirations are as a photographer.Taking time to evaluate your goals and motiva-tions will inform every decision, whether it’s thetype of equipment you need or the kind of busi-ness you want to have.

Ask yourself questions such as

■ Are you happy simply recording your immedi-ate and extended family history and yourfriends’ lives?

■ Do you love to find the beauty and complex-ity in things around you?

■ Who are you and where are you now as a photographer?

■ Do you have enough technical skill to feelconfident charging for your services or do youhave a passion to photograph children but it’sstill more of a hobby at this point?

If you are considering photographing children asyour career and don’t feel a draw or some sense ofenchantment toward little ones, you would bemuch better off finding another subject or specialty.

PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN PHOTO WORKSHOP / The Art of PhotographingChildren

ABOUT THIS PHOTO Children can be among the most chal-lenging and rewarding of photographic subjects. 1/250 second, f/3.5 atISO 100. ©Allison Tyler Jones / www.atjphoto.com

Perhaps you only have a point-and-shoot camera — this is fine; this is

enough. Don’t be intimidated by all of the latestadvances and technology. The advent of digital photog-raphy will allow you to be more successful, more quicklythan ever before. You will know when you need toadvance, but to start all you need is a camera and a kid.

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“A photographer’s work is givenshape and style by his personal

vision. It is not simply technique, but the way he looksat life and the world around him.” ~Pete Turner, MoreJoy of Photography by Eastman

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BE INSPIREDWhether photographing children for fun orprofit, paying attention to your creative journey,past and present, helps you develop your ownindividual style or signature. That signatureenables you to create more captivating, inspiring,and authentic photographs.

If you ask ten people to photograph the samechild in the same environment, you will see ten

different approaches and styles, because the eyesof the photographer are inevitably filtered bytheir past experiences and their personal vision(whether they know it or not). So why not honein on this tendency and begin to develop yourown vision and style? A good place to start is bystudying the masters of the art of photography.Absorbing the work of other photographers canhelp you see what you do and don’t like, which is

A NOTE TO PARENTS A large percentage of photographers who decide to photographchildren, either as a hobby or a vocation, do so when they become parents. Suddenly nothingis more profound than nurturing and observing your perfect and beautiful creation. Watchinghis or her every move and expression, the softness of the cheeks, and the miraculousachievements made each day is awe-inspiring. Using the downtime with a baby or youngchild and taking advantage of the miraculous moments helps you begin to really see thischild. Morning light through the window, sleepy eyes, and grateful smiles suddenly becomeyour favorite subject. Maybe you are a new parent now reading this book for ideas on waysto better capture your own child. Relax and enjoy the pleasure of making simple and sponta-neous images of your child.

Who has a better potential to photograph your child than you? If you’ve ever taken your childto a mass-merchant photo studio to have his or her picture taken you know that those pho-tographers aren’t exactly tuned in to the individual child. As a parent, you have the insidetrack on your child’s expressions, moods, and quirks. You have access to your child 24 hours aday allowing you to document the full range of activities, interests, and expressions.

But don’t forget, your child also has the inside track on you. Somehow, kids just know how topush their parents’ buttons, and a friendly photo shoot can go from, “Come on over heresweetie and let’s take your picture” to “Stop touching your brother! Do you want a timeout?”Before you know it, you’re ready to send them all to their rooms all because you wanted anice photo for you to remember how much you love your kids.

And so, a caution to all parents out there. Remember why you’re taking these photos in thefirst place. Be patient with those little ones (even when they aren’t so little anymore). Whenyou’re first learning about photography you can be so worried about “getting the shot” thatyou forget to be in the moment with your child. Maybe you could photograph the neighbor’skids and she could photograph yours one time. You know you’ll be nicer to her kids than youare to your own.



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ABOUT THIS PHOTOThis little boy wasn’t about tosit still for his photo, so thephotographer started tellingjokes and snorting like a pig,which the boy thought was veryfunny. 1/250 second, f/3.5 at ISO 100. ©Allison Tyler Jones /www.atjphoto.com

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the very beginning of identifying your own style.Nothing is wrong with learning the way of themasters as you amble along your path. But as youdo this, honor yourself, as you have embedded inyour soul your own style and vision, which iswaiting fervently to be noticed and tapped into.

Along the way, go ahead and learn the skills andapproaches of others, but eventually your very ownstyle starts to surface and resound. Yes, traces ofthis mentor or that mentor might show up in yourimages, but your own vision shines through as in1-2. In fact, you can’t hide it if you wanted to.



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Do you ever take the time to think about whatinspires you deeply? Do you love the mountains,the beach, or midtown Manhattan? Are you adreamer or an athlete? Are you an avid reader orart aficionado? Do you love movies, bicycle rides,or traveling to Indonesia? All of your tastes, yourpassions, and your fascinations are what makeyou unique and who you are. Never take this forgranted; in fact, refining, developing, andacknowledging your tastes and passions con-tribute greatly to your creativity.

Looking around your home might give you someclues as to what inspires you and what you love.Do you have a style? Is there a consistency towhat is around you; for example, a theme such asnature or the arts? Are you surrounded by colorsthat you enjoy? Maybe you haven’t seen that as achoice, and things are dictated by what was free,inherited, or chosen by others. Do you realizehow much you are influenced by your surround-ings? They feed into you, either negatively or pos-itively, on a daily basis. Would you choose tophotograph your surroundings, or do you have togo to another location or country to be inspired?Would you photograph a child in your home?

Many people believe that they don’t have thechoice to affect their physical environments for amyriad of reasons. However, your surroundingsare a very important part of your creativity, sotake steps every day to pay attention to what youcreate around you. This pays off when you designyour photographs.

The photo in 1-3 is a new take on an old subject,the family portrait. Taking the best of classic por-traiture and combining new elements of morephotojournalistic style, this photo of a youngfamily says something fresh and interesting abouttheir lives together.

As you discover different styles ofportraiture, you might wonder how

different effects are achieved. Chapter 6 explores themost common types of children’s portraiture from clas-sic studio work to the emerging popularity of environ-mental portraits.

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ABOUT THIS PHOTO A new take on the family portrait.Combining a more candid casual feel, this photographer has put herown spin on a timeless photographic tradition. 1/125 second, f/2.8 atISO 400. ©Laura Cottrill / www.lauracphotography.com



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Another source for the roots of your creativitymight be to remember what inspired you as achild. What did you have around you, in yourbedroom, for example? Did you have collections?Can you see a theme running through any of yourknickknacks? Did you have a favorite toy or afavorite place? In a whimsical portrait of a littlegirl in 1-4, the photographer used her childhoodlove of swings as inspiration.


“Art is not so much a matter ofmethods and processes as it is an

affair of temperament, of taste, and of sentiment...in thehands of the artist, the photograph becomes a work ofart...in a word, photography is what the photographermakes it — an art or a trade.” ~William Howe Downs

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ABOUT THIS PHOTOTake advantage of inspiration from yourown environment. The chain on a porch swing acts a frame for thisspunky little girl’s cute face. 1/125 second, f/2.8 at ISO 200. ©AllisonTyler Jones / www.atjphoto.com



RESOURCES FORINSPIRATIONLiving an enriched life, living as fully as possible,and drawing from your intuition for guidance sig-nificantly affect what you reflect back into yourphotographic images. As a photographer of chil-dren, these things can affect your attitude, yourtaste, and your inspiration for creating more artis-tic and meaningful portraits. Here are some ideasthat you might consider for further exploration.

■ Attending workshops. Nothing is moreinspiring than spending days or a week with agroup of fellow photographers as in 1-5. Theatmosphere of sharing and cooperation inmoving your photography forward is verymotivating. Getting away from the demandsof family and work holds you in a very specialand protected place. Maine PhotographicWorkshops and Santa Fe Workshops comehighly recommended for hobbyists and profes-sionals alike. Professional trade organizationssuch as Professional Photographers of

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America and its local affiliates hold lecturesand workshops throughout the year, many ofthem focused on the business of photography.See its Web site at www.ppa.com.

■ Working with mentors. Many accomplishedphotographers are willing to mentor photog-raphers that are newer to the craft. Mentoringis more hands on and longer term than justtaking a workshop.

■ Reading books. Literature can call you into asense of place with words alone, tickling yourvisual imagination. Books by other photogra-phers can be provocative for aspiring photog-raphers. Books of great artists and their livesspeak to you from a valuable point of viewand move you with their creations.

■ Reading magazines. Magazines, by their verynature, can keep you current on styles of cloth-ing and imagery. Whether it’s the GAP kids ador an editorial about child rearing, every pagecan give you new ideas on photographing chil-dren. Check out the new parenting magazines

ABOUT THIS PHOTOPhotography workshops are agreat place to get some hands-onpractice. 1/125 second, f/2.8 at ISO 200. © Allison Tyler Jones /www.atjphoto.com

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Cookie and Wonder Time. These resources cangive you insight into contemporary styles thatmight influence your work if you let them. Clipout your favorite photos and start an idea fileto inspire you when motivation is running low.

■ Visiting museums and galleries. In JuliaCameron’s The Artist’s Way, she encouragesall artists to have “artist’s dates” frequently. Itis one thing to visit a museum and quiteanother to go with the intention of keepingyour eyes wide open for inspiration. Takinganother artist friend along can make it a funadventure and inform your work in new wayssuch as use of color, composition, and light.

■ Exploring culture. The performing arts oftheatre, ballet, and opera can open your eyesand lead you to new ways of thinking and see-ing. With a photographer’s eye, watch thedelicate and sophisticated lighting used todramatize dance and theatre. Notice the ges-tures, movement, costumes, and fabrics.These observations might move you to exper-iment more with visual materials. Culturalexperiences may influence you to seek outmore dramatic lighting situations for yourportraits of children.

■ Traveling. An olive tree in your front yarddoesn’t hold a candle to one in Tuscany — itjust doesn’t! Moving outside of your everydayenvironment makes you not only appreciatethe styles and light of other cultures, but yourown environment as well. New colors, newfaces, styles, architecture, food, and foliageopen up your own vision at every turn.Observe children of other cultures, theirclothing and their activities. When you arrive

back home, you are forever changed, and youwon’t be able to help seeing your environ-ment differently. These are the treats thatenter your cells and change you forever, feed-ing your spirit and your vision.

■ Checking out the Internet. Bookmarkingyour favorite photographer’s Web sites orblogs is the virtual way to keep an idea file.Join an online forum to share your work in acooperative spirit with other photographersfrom around the world. The critique andencouragement from these forums can helpyou improve very quickly. The Internet is soof-the-moment, giving you access to the latesttrends in child photography, such as the contemporary-style portrait in 1-6.

■ Doing creativity exercises. You don’t have totake a class to do creative exercises. Make upyour own using all the inspiration you’vegathered from the previous suggestions.Choose your own subjects, but narrow itdown, be specific, and work within a time-frame. Work your way through the assign-ments at the end of each chapter in this bookand you might be surprised at how you startexamining and appreciating what you seeevery day and how that influences your work.


When watching a movie, viewbonus features on the DVD you are

watching. Look for lighting setups in the movie scenesto give you great ideas on how to light your own work.Or just pay close attention to the lighting in the nextmovie you attend. Which direction is it coming from?Notice how each frame is composed just so. Moviesdirected by Martin Scorsese and Akira Kurosawa,among others, are known for their masterful lighting.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAYCan you remember how important pretendingwas when you were a child? Pretending was anecessary part of playing, whether it was aboutcowboys, Star Wars, or dolls. Almost everyoneeventually learned that pretending was for chil-dren and sacrificed this behavior for the sake ofgrowing up.

Your ability to play is an essential skill when pho-tographing children. As you get down on yourhands and feet, at their level as in 1-7, seeing lifefrom their perspective and entering into theirworld of pretend, how can your photography notbe influenced?

ABOUT THIS PHOTO Keep current on all the latest trends in children’s photography by joining anonline forum of photographers. 1/250 second, f/4 at ISO 250. ©Melanie Sikma / www.melaniesphotos.com

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know it. Take the time to sit with them and letthem get used to you. Ask them to show you theirroom, as in 1-8 or their favorite toys. Childrenare no different from adults in this aspect; they


Try this creative exercise: Make 20photographs out of the following

subjects: an egg, texture, harsh light, color, junk as art,window, a face, black, white, shadow, reflection, round,smooth, and partnership. Include a child in each photograph.

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“Pretending is a great way to exercise our imagination. Pretending

takes us back to our kidhood... it unleashes our creativity.” ~Kevin Eikenberry

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ABOUT THIS PHOTO Take a photo by lying down on the floor at eye level with thebaby. 1/640 second, f/2.8, ISO 400. ©Stacy Wasmuth / www.bluecandyphotography.com

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Children, as a whole, are very good judges ofcharacter and they can smell a phony a mileaway. If you really aren’t interested in them, they



like people who are genuinely interested in them.Ask them about school, their teachers, friendsand interests. Let them look over your cameraand show them a few shots throughout the shootso they feel a part of what is going on. If you areworking with a particularly timid child, allowthem to first get comfortable by letting them sitwith mom or dad for a bit as in 1-9, before theyare expected to perform for you.

Taking time to play a little and see the worldfrom the perspective of the child you are photo-graphing can only help you expand your vision in

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capturing real, candid images. Spending a littletime on the floor can also change your viewpointby not only getting on the child’s level but byallowing you to explore new angles andapproaches to your subject. Take the chance! Youmight like it down there!

ABOUT THIS PHOTO After being given a tour of this youngboy’s bedroom, the photographer noticed how proud he was of hisplane collection and took advantage of an unusual angle to get the shot.1/250 second, f/2.8, ISO 400. ©Allison Tyler Jones / www.atjphoto.com

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ABOUT THIS PHOTO Let kids sit with their parents for a bit andtake this time to capture a few tender moments of parent time beforeyou put the kids through their paces. 1/250 second, f/2.8, ISO 100.©Allison Tyler Jones / www.atjphoto.com

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“...you don’t have to travel to SEE.One of my favorite assignments is

to shoot a roll of film within 20 feet of your bed.” ~RuthBernhard

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AssignmentMirror, Mirror on the WallYou should understand that who you are and what has inspired you shine through in the portraitsyou create. After reading this chapter, you have perhaps given some thought to what influencesyou, what your tastes are, and what your passions are. Now that you are more aware, create a chil-dren’s portrait that reflects some of who you are and your style. This can be shown by your choice ofcolors and tones, by clothing, background environment, or general attitude. Use your imaginationand try to come up with something really unique, something that separates you from the crowd.

This photograph of Nate was taken at his family home. The photographer ran around with himand his sister for the better part of an afternoon photographing them in their natural habitat.When the photographer spied the lineup of dinos on the windowsill, she asked the boy if hewould like a photo with his “friends.” As she lifted her camera, the photographer noticed part ofNate’s dad in the reflection in the window behind the boy, which gives the image added depthand meaning.1/640 second at f/2.8, ISO 400.

Remember to visit www.pwassignments.com after you complete this assignmentand share your favorite photo! It’s a community of enthusiastic photographersand a great place to view what other readers have created. You can also post com-ments, and read other encouraging suggestions and feedback.

©Allison Tyler Jones



photographing children photo workshop sample chapter

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