When asked which children are the easiest to photograph a photographer once replied, “Orphans!”
If you are trying to sell pictures, like I am, this presents an obvious problem. We need the parents to bring us the children and to pay for the pictures. Without the parents there would be no children. The question is how to work with the parents?
I prefer to have the parents tell me what they want. Then, sit back, do what little I ask and enjoy the ride. Other photographers may rely on the parents to do almost everything in working with the child. And then, there is everything else in between.
In actual practice few of us are completely one way or the other. I always try to get the parents to let me do everything. But, some parents are convinced that they can actually work with their child better than I. Some parents even bring someone to get the child to smile.
I prefer that the parents, or preschool/child care staff, bring the children to me and let me know any special requests. They can then sit down, relax and enjoy the experience. I prefer to do it all, pose the child, straighten clothes, get the expression and even wipe noses if necessary. Any extra interaction between the parent and the child interferes with what I am doing and my relationship with the child. Sometimes this is tough to sell and I end up doing what a photographer I work with calls “damage control”. I do the best I can without hurting my relationship with the parent, my customer, the only reason I am there.
If I am the only one working with the child I can usually get the child to do all of those cute poses very quickly. As an example, if the parent tries to get a toddler to put his hands into his pockets or lay her head down on her arms, the chances of success are much less. If the parent “helps” me we are less likely to get the pose, it will take longer and there is a chance the parent will push the child too far and end the sitting.
I have spent years learning how to get children to do these poses. I can’t coach a parent through it with the same level of success. There is no way for the parent to react to my coaching quickly enough.
But, if the parent insists on helping, I may have to accept that. In that case it will take a little longer to do a lot less. At that point the goal becomes to avoid it becoming an unpleasant experience for either the child or the parent.
All of this may sound absurd to someone unfamiliar with the work of someone with my level of experience and ability. But there are many photographers out there who would agree with me. Let me give you an example from about twenty or thirty years ago.
A mother brought her older infant in to a store promotion I was doing. She sat the child down and quickly and excitedly stepped back to make the child smile. I got her attention and explained that I would like her to sit beside the child and let me work with the child. She agreed but seemed skeptical. The little girl was about 8-12 months old. It took just a few minutes to do all I needed to do and everything the mother wanted.
The mother then told me why she was so surprised a photographer could work with her child that well. She had worked for a few months as the manager of a studio run by CPI* in a Sears store. She was in charge of hiring, training and supervising the photographers.
After a few months of listening to parents and children yell at each other, she quit. She had no idea that what she had just seen was possible.
If you are, or are aspiring to be, a children’s photographer I recommend learning how to work with the children without the parent’s help. You will get better pictures in less time. But most important, the parents and the children will enjoy it more.
The better preschools and child care centers will appreciate what you are doing and will become loyal customers.
*The first company I worked for in this business was Fact, Inc. When I started with them many of their photographers could have done what I did. Fact, Inc. became Chromalloy Photographic Industries and later CPI Corp. CPI is now out of business.