How to get naturally emotive portraits with kids!

May 12

Photographing families with kids of any age can be a challenge, but it’s one I love, and it’s something I’m pretty good at. I recently had a session with a mom and and her three boys, and the older two were NOT having it. They just weren’t getting along which made the whole session a little chaotic. Here’s the thing. This happens all the time! Kids are kids. They are going to fight, they are going to complain about having to get photos done. And you’re going to have to work through that and perform anyway. That’s what Mom and Dad pay you for! Soooo, here are three easy tips to make it happen…

1. Know your equipment inside and out.

This seems like it should be self explanatory, but you really should be so comfortable with your camera that you’re not even thinking about it. Dialing in settings and changing things on the fly should literally be second nature. Kids aren’t going to wait, or “redo” something adorable because you’re trying to get your camera settings right. If you feel like you’re not as comfortable as you should be, read your camera’s manual. It’s not the most exciting reading material, but the more you know about your gear the better. Another thing I do with each of my cameras is set up the customizable buttons. I have 3-4 custom buttons set up on each of my camera bodies which means I have a super simple short cut to the settings I adjust the most. Focus Area (usually set to spot focus), Focus Mode (usually set to Auto Focus Continuous), and Drive Mode (usually set to Continuous Shooting: Lo). I also have a forth button set up on my primary camera to switch eyes for the Eye Auto Focus feature. I have both dials on each camera set up to control aperture and shutter speed settings as well. I very rarely have to go into my camera’s main menu to change settings, which is great because I don’t have time to click through a bunch of menu pages when I’m working with kiddos!

This guy’s ADORABLE little smile lasted for about 3 seconds before he got upset again. If I didn’t know what I was doing, I definitely would have missed it.

2. You have to be willing to get on their level.

I don’t mean physically, though that’s pretty important too. I mean MENTALLY. You have to get WEIRD. You have to be willing to make an absolute fool of yourself. I burp out loud on command, I talk about butts and farts and boogers, I dance and sing and tell silly secrets, I make up words, etc. It’s absolutely vulgar and ridiculous sometimes, but Mom and Dad aren’t going to judge you, they just want the shot. That’s what they’re paying you for! Now every kid is different and some will not like the burping or will OVER react to something silly, so you have to gauge your audience. I usually start by asking the kiddo “What if I burped right now…out loud…without milk or soda or anything?! What that make you laugh or would that be totally gross?” The verbal answer isn’t really important, but the way they physically react totally is. They may say “that would be totally gross” but have a huge smile on their face as they say it. If that’s the case, I’m giving them a burp. If they look at me with wide eyes and glance at Mom and Dad for help, they’re probably going to be uncomfortable instead of finding it hilarious, so I’ll move on and try something else. At this particular shoot, “butt booger” was the word of the day. We made it up, and every time I said it out loud, the boys just laughed and laughed. You’ve got to be willing to be a total idiot. Hahaha.

Clearly I’ve just done something totally ridiculous. I’m either talking about butt boogers or burping on command. And the resulting image is naturally fun and emotive.

3. Don’t be above bribery.

There’s typically a bribe or two at every one of my sessions. “If you do this, I’ll give you that when we’re done.” Delayed gratification can be hard for kiddos, but it usually works. I always have snacks and treats on hand in the studio, and 9 times out of 10 I’ll offer to let the older kids take some photos with my big camera at the end of the shoot. They LOVE this. They want to push the buttons and be the photographer, and they’ll generally behave for you if you keep dangling that carrot in front of them. Your equipment should be insured just in case, but I’ve never had an issue. I’m always close by to make sure nothing gets dropped or broken.

Taking some very specific creative direction from the photographer. He had ideas!

So here are a few favorites from my example session referenced above. Were there tears? Yep. Was there fighting? 100%. Was there even a little bit of yelling? You betcha. But would you EVER even know that based on these images? Absolutely not!