Jessica contacted me a couple months ago, and we set up a date for their family photos. She & her husband, Larry, had never had professional photos taken of their family! They were excited, and so was I. She was concerned about getting real smiles from her girls… you moms out there know how it is. You ask your children to smile and they give you a “cheese face”– a wacky smile that doesn’t really portray who they are or what they really look like. You want to be able to capture their personality in a smile, not just their facial features. Sometimes, as a photographer, this can be difficult. But luckily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve… which in all honesty just comes down to me being goofy & silly 99% of the time. My whole approach when photographing kids is this: let them be who they are. Let them be little. Let them be silly. That will really get them to shine in their photos! Also, as their parent, give me a tip on how to connect with them. Casually mention that your daughter loves Elsa (I mean, which little girl on the planet DOESN’T at this point), or that your little boy loves Cars. It will help me immensely when I’m trying to connect with your kids and get them to trust me. Once I have their trust, I can usually get their real selves & smiles, majority of the time (though it’s not a guarantee!). That’s what happened with these gorgeous little girls-we talked about Elsa, ice cream, dessert they were likely going to get for their excellent behavior, their cute matching dresses, what they like to do, and more! They were so great. They listened, played, and I think (and hope) had a really fun time! Thanks for sharing them with me for an afternoon Jessica & Larry! I hope they enjoyed their well-deserved dessert!
