Children's Portrait Technique

[Bruce Osgood]

I use a technique that I learned from a friend who is an entomologist. When he photographs insects he puts them in the freezer for a couple of minutes, slows them right down. Works great with kids too...

It's the only way to photograph kids with large format!

JD

Or as W.C. Fields suggested... a little Vodka in their orange juice.

[mandoman7]

As with most portraiture, empathy is probably your most important tool. Kids have little say in it, but they don't like being forced into situations any more than adults. If you can genuinely convey that understanding to them, they will respond to an amazing degree. I photographed a hundred preschoolers this week in various settings, which is no picnic to be sure (shot w/digital admittedly). But again, empathy is the means of illiciting cooperation. Too often people use phony high pitched voices to disguise efforts to get kids to do something they don't want to do, which reads as a red flag in their heads. Stay genuine and let them know what you want, but also let them feel like its their call ultimately. This kind of treatment works partially because they're not getting much of it at home from their young, image-conscious parents.