Approaching the Cranky Child | Puyallup Children's Portraits

At some point, every family is going to have the cranky child during portraits.  The one who cries, whines and won't be bribed with anything.  The parent is usually embarassed at the child's behavior, may be sweating and have a raised blood pressure.  The parent may be expressing tons of patience but it doesn't seem to go anywhere.  This may happen during portraits intended to be of the child, family portraits where everyone is cooperating but one, or maybe it's the flower girl during a wedding.  This may be unexpected for the parent, but the photographer actually expects this!

For several years I went through several studios with my "wild" child and was frustrated with our lack of time, lack of patience and ultimately the lack of satisfaction I received as a customer.  When I began learning photography it was because of these issues.  I felt certain that if I could learn the skills to take good pictures, I could capitalize on my child's comfort zone and good times of day and not be restricted to the time tables of the store studios.  Honestly, I didn't even consider custom family portraits.  I wish I had looked into the many local photographers at that time and seen what a difference it could make with my children.

The usual reasons a child is cranky for me as a photograher include: overstimulation prior to the session, sensing a parent's or sibling's stress preparing for a session, a sense that their concerns and feelings don't matter, discomfort with me as a stranger, unsure of what I will ask of them and occasionally unsure of what mom and dad will ask of them.

What can you do?  If you have a child who is easily overstimulated, you can help them out by keeping the morning or the day of the session as simple and routine as possible for them.  Sometimes they just need a nap, which is why we try to schedule your child or family session around these times.  Of course sometimes the child just won't take a nap that day! 

If you have a child that is sensitive to their emotions and the emotions of others, it can help to keep your voice calm as you talk about the session.  You can also tell them what to expect from me: I'm a mom who is calm and nice to talk to, who wants to take pictures of them and will help them feel comfortable.

Here's what I would say to my child, "honey, tonight we're going to have pictures taken.  There's a really nice lady who's going to ask you to smile, sit and maybe stand in certain places.  She's going to make funny faces and talk to you nicely.  I want you to be polite and do what she asks.  She and I have made a plan for these pictures. We will be visiting a location (describe the location if you can) and there will be time to explore but there will be time to be a good listener too."

This kind of picture (see below) is usually what we can get with this kind of preparation...

On the other hand, occasionally there is a kid who just has a really serious side.  Below is one of my favorite and most loyal clients.  I have never actually had full on toothy smile from the oldest.  But that is okay!  This is his personality, this is who he is right now.  There is nothing I could do to make him smile.  The best I can do with his age and abilities is take pictures of him at his best - being serious.

And sometimes even with the best preparation you get one who cannot or will not be able to handle this at this point.  My opinion is that we should just photograph it as it is.  This is a stage that will pass.  Someday this will only be a memory!

As your photographer, I come with a few tricks up my sleeve!  I have a few beaded necklaces, a squeaker, and usually some small candies.  I do not use any of these as bribes but as distractions.  On rare occasions, having a smartphone helps too!  I can bring up a kid's favorite show to gain their attention or to distract them from their current worries.  So far I have never needed to use all these tricks during a session, just one or two.

But really, I understand if there's nothing that can be done at the moment.  If we don't make any progress with them within 30 minutes I offer one free rescheduled session.  We can wait a few days and try again.  If you have any concerns about special accomodations or needs of your child please let me know ahead of time so I can be as prepared as possible. 

Thanks for reading and enjoying some of my favorite, priceless, "cranky kid" moments.
For more informationa about family portraits or tips you'd like to add to this blog post please email me at info@ndrobbs.com.  I look forward to hearing from you!