So this is really becoming my thing lately. I am having so much fun working with children individually where I can direct and interact in ways that bring the best out of my subject. This has certainly become a process now of creating rather than taking photographs. And its what I have always wanted to be, a portrait artist rather than a photographer. I cannot put into words fully just how rewarding this is.
For each of these shoots (as with nearly all of my shoots) we begin with a consultation where we discuss what we would like to achieve in the shoot. Here we will consider the type of clothing and any possible props. We will look at both the clients clothes and my ever growing collection so we can pick what will work best. In all circumstances we are heavily guided by what the child in the portraits wants to wear as I see this as vitally important. If he or she is uncomfortable its going to show and the portraits won't work. But most are happy to play dressups and wear a combination of their own clothes and mine.
Ideally I prefer a bit of both. The chance to dress up is fantastic, and to wear something you might not purchase yourself is a great opportunity, however also being able to wear your own clothes so that we are capturing memories at the same time is equally important. So I encourage clients to take a look at what they own and would like to include. Dance costumes, tutus or sports uniforms work very well as it includes their current interests as well.
This consultation helps guide me in planning my sessions. Every session has a plan of action so that I know what I want to achieve on the day. And by meeting my clients and seeing those I will be photographing I can actually picture the portraits I am going to create before I even begin. I have found this highly useful in producing work I am very proud of and my clients love. And a big bonus of doing this means the children I am working with get a chance to meet me so that I am not a complete stranger to them on the day. This definitely helps a lot.
This young lady worked wonderfully and the session seemed to go on and on. She never tired and I believe quite enjoyed her time with me. She's a performer who I suspect we might see in the entertainment world one day as she has recently acquired an agent. And I shall be able to say I knew her when.
(When I saw they each had leather jackets I couldn't resist including them in a couple of portraits)
I am saving one portrait from this session to enter into a print competition. I don't know if anything will come of it but its something that has struck a cord with me and I want to keep it a secret until the judging is complete. I can't wait to share it and its killing me keeping it to myself. I may be making more out of it than it is but I've got to try and hope for the best. Whether it wins anything or not, I will still love the image. I've chosen not to share it in order to keep it from the eyes of potential competition judges so that I can ensure it has maximum impact for them. If it is seen before or others attempt to copy the concept it will lose impact which could affect the scoring. So I, and yourselves, will just have to wait. But I promise to share it later in the year whether it does well or not. I just need to come up with a witty title for the print now which to be honest I'm not great at doing. But I think a good title will actually make all the difference.
So as per usual, please get in touch if you'd like a shoot like this for yourself or someone you know. Links to contact details are all below.
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Website
Comments