This little person is a regular customer of mine. I first photographed B when she was seven months old, so it was a pleasure to see her again recently at the studio, accompanied by her new baby sister. As I’ve said in previous posts, small babies are very easy to photograph whereas busy, mobile children are quite a challenge, especially in a studio environment. Coaxing natural smiles out of older children is really quite tricky, by the age of three they are usually masters at face pulling and full on cheesy grins, not really what a parent wants to have displayed on their lounge wall. So the task lies with me as a photographer to cajole, persuade and encourage the more attractive smiles to make an appearance. We got there in the end. Having got B to perform, we then attempted to get both girls to look at the camera and smile sweetly, slightly less easy, but we just about managed it. We sat them both down and put J (aged seven months) on B’s knee, one parent was behind me to get both girls attention, whilst the other was to one side ready to catch J in case she should slip from B’s (rather enthusiastic) grasp. So in between squawks from J and cheesy grins and waves from B we got some sweet shots of the pair of them. I have a few clients who have been coming to me for family photos for several years and it’s really lovely to be able to see children grow and families expand and to be in the privileged position of documenting that for them.
Emma will be back in the UK between 2nd and 15th September, for details of how to book a shoot please go to – http://emmaobrien.com/uk-commissions/