Skip to main content

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. 
 
 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I am Still Me: A Story about a Transgender Boy

  Meet Leo. Leo is 15 and currently going through an epic transformation that has momentarily turned the lives of himself and those around him upside down. A mum who once had the daughter she always longed for is now coping with the realisation that she will be living the rest of her life with a son instead. When your child is born you have certain expectations of the typical life they will lead but most of us know and accept that it won't necessarily end up the way we imagine. Not every person wants to marry, have kids or be involved with the opposite sex. Most of us have come to accept this and can adjust to whatever comes our way relatively easily. But few of us have expected to have to deal with a change in sex. Its not that we've hoped it won't happen, but just that it never occurred to us that it might. This is a new adjustment that we as a society are being presented with today, just like so many others that have come before. When I first heard that Phoebe

Fine Art Portraits of a Beautiful Young Girl

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 com

5 Reasons you Should Consider Getting a Professional Headshot

Headshots, or profile pictures are becoming a requirement of so many tools we regularly use or reference today. From Facebook to Linked In, Instagram to Twitter and often any website that represents a company for which you work or own will have a place to include a photograph that is meant to show your audience who you are. And how you present yourself there will tell your audience so much about you. 1. A profile picture is your first opportunity for your audience to see you. Its often the first impression you make and we all know you only have one chance at a first impression. A professional photographer has the skills to show you in the best, most suitable way to give a great first impression. (These headshots were created for recruitment firm  Optima UK  who asked to have their logo placed behind them. I think it makes these headshots quite eye catching and they should do their job well.) 2. Using a professional to create your headshot will convey yo

Family Photos with Flair - Vanity Fair Style Family Portraits

This style of portrait continues to be the eye catching success I had always hoped it would be. Once again I created a beautiful family portrait that I am really proud of and I know this family loves too. Over the years I have developed this style through influences such as Vanity Fair and the many photographers I follow, though I hope that there is something in here that is entirely my own. Having my work easily identified as my own was a goal of mine from the start. Getting to the point where people will want not just a portrait but a Christina Lauder portrait is where I've always wanted to be and I'm hoping I'm on way. These portraits were created for the family of two professional photographers who wanted some portraits of their own. Family portraits isn't really something one can do of oneself, at least not easily. So they needed the services of another and I was honoured to be chosen for the job. They chose me not just for my style but also for my ab

My Fellowship in Child Portraiture, Baby Photographer of the Year and All Things Convention Related

Its been a very busy year for me.  Hence the reason I've not been keeping this blog up to date. That's about to change though.  I anticipate this coming year to be even busier but I plan on getting a lot more organised and keeping on top of things like this.  For now though I'd like to tell you all about last week. I keep trying to think of some words to describe this past week and I keep coming back to 'I had the time of my life' and breaking into song in my head.  Apart from when my daughter was born I haven't had a better time in my life. This week was spent at the Societies Convention where in excess of 14 thousand photographers from around the world meet to take part in print competitions, submit qualification panels and join in on various classes and events. The week began as one of the most stressful of my life.  I've never felt nerves like it.  I'd just spent the best part of a year planning and preparing my 20 image panel to present to 5