Getting the Smiles: Child Headshots and a Couple Family Portraits

Getting a natural-looking smile in a photo isn't always the easiest task. Just ask any parent! For this shoot, my client was specifically interested in getting nice portraits of each of the kids and wasn't worried about getting a family shot (even though we snagged a couple) or other group shots. That made my job a little less complicated, so we worked on the portraits first.

I have a couple tricks when I do portraits of kids. First of all, I like to let them help out as "photographer assistants" during the shoot: holding an umbrella or monopod, helping position people in a group shot, etc. When it's their turn to have their photo taken, I let the kids pick a spot where they want their picture taken. Then, I try to interact with them in an easy-going, no-pressue manner. For younger kids, I talk to them about school and favorite hobbies. For older kids, explaining how the camera functions really helps. I often show kids the back of the camera as I am taking pictures, especially if I need them to smile or look a certain way (or in the case of the little sister here--get back into the family shot!) There is nothing like immediate feedback to help a child understand what they are supposed to do.

I often have to educate my clients how to smile for the camera in a way that doesn't look fake. The easiest way I have found is to create real situations to get a real smile. For adults, conversation seems to work the best. We naturally smile as we talk, so I shoot and gab, two of my favorite things! For kids, saying words like "spaghetti" or "macaroni" or even "okay" work really well. Those words have an "ee" sound at the end and end in a smile anyway. If the child is having a good time, smiles aren't too hard to get! Finally, have someone else behind the camera (these kids' mom was fabulous!) talking to the kid and reminding them of their friends at school, favorite people, and other smiley thoughts. Enjoy!

Buy One Get One Free 8x10 at Walgreens

I've recently started clipping coupons thanks to a couple friends and a workshop at church that taught me some tricks about saving money this way. So, I was thrilled when I found a coupon in this Sunday's paper for a Buy One Get One Free 8x10 at Walgreens. The coupon says if you order online, just "enter promtional code 2FOR1 for online checkout." Awesome! The code is good through Sat. 11/28/09. With Christmas coming, I'm thinking about all the photos I will want to print for presents. This is a nice way to get one of those for free.

Remember, for an 8x10 print, you will be getting a print that isn't be the same aspect ratio as the original file. Plus, labs always upsize the image so it will "bleed" (a printing term here) all the way to the edges of the paper. Here's how a photo of my photographer friend and aunt will be cropped for an 8x10 print:

Original Image

Cropped Image for 8x10 print:
Loses some of the camera at the bottom and the hat on top.

Aspect ratio is another problem with prints, but as long as you are aware of the limitations of your intended prints, you can shoot photos that have a little leeway for cropping.

Awesome Pair: Sibling Portrait Session

It's cool when I have a chance to work with teens (or near teens) because I love that age! After teaching junior high for 4 years, I appreciate the not-quite-a-kid but not-quite-a-grown-up mentality. It's a tough position to be in! The trick is to treat them as adults; let them know what's going on and why, and let them make decisions where they can. I was impressed by their ability to follow directions and follow my lead (especially when tromping through muddy paths up to the Roswell Mill Dam).

There's so much I love about these set of photos: their individual portraits--so gorgeous and contemplative, the back-lighting on the shots together, the lens flare on the bottom frame, and the sister's surprised smile on the brother-over-the-shoulder shot. Thanks, guys. You were awesome!