3 reasons you're not so special

Everyone thinks about getting a professional portrait session at one time or another; really, no matter how many pictures you've taken on your point & shoot, you know it would be awesome to have some really nicely done shots of you, your family and/or pets.

But even though so many people want to have their portrait taken, very few actually take the step and do it. Why? It's always the same three objections, and for those, I have these three basic answers:  

    1. Nobody's kids listen

    2. Nobody's pets behave

    3. You look way better than you think you do.

A long time ago, after my first kids' shoot, I called a good friend of mine who had been doing that for years, and I asked her, "how do you get the kids to do what you want?" and she laughed and replied, "you don't!"

So now you know the truth. You're really nothing all that special (in the behavioral department, that is). Ok, with that being said: most professional photographers have a bag of tricks they use to get kids and animals to listen, and pretty much all of them involve bribery. I keep a baby bottle, a sippy cup and kids and pet snacks in my studio. I also keep baby cold medicine and Benadryl (no, you're not the first person to think of that and no, that doesn't make you a bad parent).

Kids grow up so quickly--as the mother of a 28-year-old, I can tell you it really is the blink of an eye--and pets are with us for such a short time; I always encourage people to get professional portraits done at least every couple of years. It's totally, 100% worth it.

So book your session and don't be afraid. Ask your photographer how to prepare; he/she should give you a list of do's and don'ts for the day. And don't go into it thinking that everything is going to go smoothly and your 1-year-old is going to think, "yeah, um, I'm going to sit my diapered fanny down right here where they want me to and I'm going to let this person stick this thing in my face and let all these lights go off around me and dang it, I'm going to love it!"

So you take time to play; you take a time-out; you take a walk around the block; you and your photographer do whatever it takes to get everyone comfortable, including yourself, and get the shots. Remember, when you're looking through a photographer's website or portfolio, you're seeing the best of his/her work. You're not seeing the shots it took to get there.

So for your information and enjoyment, here are some of the shots that it took for us to get there this past weekend.

  

  

  

 

Comments

[Sarah]

LOL!! These are fantastic...been there, done that. Great post. :)

[erica]

OMG. SQUUUEEEEE!

[Allison Kendall]

Wonderful post, fun photos - very encouraging too, as I've tackled kids + family as subjects before, and usually I opt for the candid route, letting the kid(s) do what they need to to stay engaged in their environment. That said, I do not yet have a studio setup, and I am hoping to move in that direction someday - sounds like I should also invest in a toy chest, among other things!

[Nicole]

Wonderful piece, Susan. I love these. I was wondering how people got kids to sit, and now I know! ;)

[susan sabo photography]

thanks!

Allison, oh the natural environment is so great when you can do it. When you plop them down onto a seamless in a studio, you're pretty much asking for trouble.

Nicole, everyone thinks it goes so much more smoothly (or even smoothly!) than it does. It can be danged difficult, and I've been known to need a lie down after these kinds of shoots.

[melissa]

who gave you such sage advice lovely post

[susan sabo photography]

haha, m. i wonder... :)

[patrick]

Something I learned years ago when doing young kids in the studio is that if you talk to them and engage them with questions (the ones that can talk, that is), they tend to become more at ease with doing what you ask them to do later on in the session.

I always tell the parents (when doing whole families) that when the goal is (typically)to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time they are not to look at the kids when I talk to them or compliment them... that they are to keep their eyes on the lens and let me worry about the kids; that I'll shoot when they look at the camera/me and that the parents need to be ready.

Also... when the really young kids seem so disagreeable, I usually tell the parents that I'm not going to pay a lot of attention to the little ones until it's actually time to shoot the photo. The more attention paid to them, the more they bristle at being part of the photograph. I work on the parents first and let the kids see for themselves that I'm not harmful. The little ones often decide that they're not getting enough attention, eventually choosing to be part of the fun.

From time to time, I've used an air-pressured shutter release with a very long cord (pre-digital) and given it to a youngster to take a few of the photos (quasi-self-portrait). While the photos might never be used because of the cord's presence in the shot, it gives the kid a kick as a result of being a part of the process.

None of these techniques are 100% successful, of course, but I've found that trying things that are a little less dictatorial and more coercive works best.

[scribblegurl]

ROFL - the last photo on the page is freaking GOLD! GOLD, I SAY!!! I can't tell you how much I love it.

[Angela]

I couldn't love this more.

[illona]

just don't get the kids' treats and the dogs' treats mixed up. :)

[Oldhamedia]

Oh, that last shot is amazing... as they all are, but I love the last one!

[minta]

am so diggin that one above the jumping one....their expressions crack me up =)

[Linda]

that was great. so its not just my dog that won't just go to the mark and sit and look cute. or even my (grown) kids for that matter. the outtakes are so cute.

[Lee]

I love them all so much.

[susan sabo photography]

thanks guys, it was lots of fun (and a bit of hair-pulling).

and, I've just been informed by my daughter that she is in fact 29 years old, not 28, so there's more proof that time goes by in the blink of an eye.

[Alison Turner]

LOVE these!