We looked for ducks. Took a photo or two. Then, we looked for turtles. Took a few more photos. We read a book. And took a few more photos. We looked for and found some fish. We fed rocks to the bear statue and we played with a radio flyer.
This is how most of my shoots go with young kiddos. I am so grateful to have worked at Children’s Medical Center because while there I learned that sometimes kids are not ready to just sit down and smile. Sometimes they need to get to know you and play with you and get to know their surroundings. And even then, sometimes they still don’t smile, but I kind of love that sass!
While I like to pretend that I am in charge at every shoot, my youngest client usually is the one who is in charge. I follow their lead and see what they will tolerate. I try not to over stimulate them and in the mean time I probably look like a big idiot. Sometimes I have bunny ears and a christmas tree hat on my head at the same time (and I usually forget they are there so I keep walking around with them on). I jump, hop, make crazy noises, talk like Elmo, shake toys, sing Frozen and if all else fails, I try bribing with candy (that is, if the kid is old enough and the parents are cool with it.)
And after all those weird tricks I hopefully get good photos like the ones below!
