Colorful Cutie

    

Kids photos are not something that every photographer loves doing....I ABSOLUETLY ADORE DOING KIDS PHOTOS!!!!! Maybe it was all those years of babysitting through high school and college, but kids are my favorite :) Being around so many kids Ive grown to truly see that even when they are young they truly start to show their own unique personality. This is something that I find to be so much fun to capture. Im really not a fan of posing kids because quite honestly it just doesn't work. Nor am I a fan of switching heads around, or smiles, or eyes. Its not that I can't do it, its more that I find it to be quite creepy. Id much rather let kids do their own thing, explore throughout the shoot and thats when parents and I agree we get completely real moments. Their real smiles, body language, and those cute little quirks they have :) I always give parents a heads up in their consult...."now I want you to know that moms plans on picture day are NOT kids plans on picture day" Its truly rare and has almost never happened that I have a perfectly behaved, excited child who wants to pose, loves the camera, doesn't have a runny nose, and gets a little tired during the shoot. That rarely ever happens. And I want you to know that is OKAY. Especially at a young age getting pictures taken with a big camera, with lights or with a stranger is pretty scary. In this shoot Miss Addy was not a fan at all of the lights but her parents and I worked together to make things fun for her! We praised her, played with her, and yes Im pretty sure I remember some silly dancing going on behind me :) I want you to know that Im prepared for it all. Ive had criers, been puked on, peed on and even pooped on during shoots...all by small children of course! haha. I also love having the littles come meet me with you during the consult so I'm not a completely new person to them when picture day arrives. I even make sure to help make some kind of bond by being the lady with coloring books and teal suckers :)  I love working along side parents to catch those little thing alike runny noses, or a slobbery chin that we simply wipe off and carry on. If a little just isn't enjoying themselves we take a break from photos and color or explore where we are. Then I simply begin again by following the child and letting THEM lead the shoot. It never works when the parent or I try to be in charge and tell them how to sit, stand or look. This shoot I loved when the mom saw the big blue chair in the studio and asked if we could use it. Mom knew that Addy loves running and jumping on their couch at home and the chair just made her light up when she got to sit in it. Im not the kind of photographer to be bossy. Besides, YOU know your child best and we get the best images when we all work together! Kids photos aren't supposed to be a photoshopped perfect child from a magazine or from a tv show. Kids photos are supposed to be of your beautiful child you brought into this world. Those sweet smiles, wrinkled noses and dimples.