Capturing Authentic Personality/Photographing Children/Bay Area Photographer

So many children are trained to say, “Cheeeeeese,” almost automatically when put in front of any camera.  Those “cheesy” grins and fake smiles are cute but don’t capture a natural expression or smile.

When photographing children my goal is to capture true and genuine expressions.  I have NO expectations on how a child should look or smile for the camera. I want them to be free to be themselves. I always interact in a fun and engaging way to help them feel comfortable and form a connection.

 Here are 5 things you can do to help create natural and genuine expressions.

1.     Guess their middle name. I’ll say, “ Hmmm. I bet your middle name is Cheeseburger.” The sillier the names, the bigger the giggles.

2.     Sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” but change the word star to something like “cow” or “pig.”

3.     Ask if they can see the rainbow in your lens. This often leads to a more pensive and serious face.

4.     For kids that are a bit older, play Would You Rather with them.

5.     Sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”…..it gets wiggly kids active and encourages a playful mood.

Some kids may not smile, giggle or want to interact with you and that’s OK. Kids are multi dimensional and all of that should be celebrated!