Portraits of a Little Girl Named Chloe

Today I was greeted by an eager and smiley little girl named Chloe. "Close your eyes", she said with obvious excitement. So I did, wondering why on earth she would want me to do this. And then she presented me with a picture she had made for me that morning, as she waited to attend her portrait session with me. This lovely little girl had only met me once during our initial consultation, and was a little tired and grumpy at that time. But she still wanted to make me a picture which made me feel honoured.

I pride myself on having patience with the children I work with. Its not always easy but given that I never do more than one shoot a day I find it is always possible. Parents often say they don't know how I can be so patient. I just try to put myself in their shoes. Having to sit still while a stranger flashes a light in their face isn't exactly an exciting way to spend an hour or so, which to a child is like an eternity.

So I do my best to make conversation they can relate to. And I let them take breaks as necessary, which sometimes includes a walk around our garden, as it did with Chloe. We took a walk down to our chickens where she collected and took home a couple of their eggs. She also had lots of cuddles with our cats. They regularly prove to be a distraction but thankfully our cats are very friendly so I don't have to worry about them.

Chloe is taking part in my personal project and was one of the selected children in my Casting Call. Chloe, although she needed the occasional break, was very easy to photograph. Her smile was simply perfect and helped to create some stunning portraits. I got exactly what I needed from this shoot and its likely I'll be working with her again in the future.

The portrait below just blew me away when it was complete. Even my husband, a non photographer, was impressed, telling me he thinks this is one of my best. Hopefully we're not alone on this one because I too am quite pleased with how it turned out. I keep coming back to it and its not losing its appeal which to me is a very good sign.

And because not everyone loves a serious, thoughtful expression I made sure I captured a few smiley ones too. Actually, getting the serious, thoughtful ones were a lot more difficult with this little girl than most. It was rare to catch her without a smile.

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Christina Lauder Portraits

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