How to take a great portrait of kids

When I am hired to make a children's portrait the result is all about capturing their personalities. Often times, the parents have specific ideas about wardrobe (which is usually something fancy & starched). Realistically the picture is not  about the clothing , it's about the person in them. So here are a few tips on how to get a really great shot. Hope these are helpful!

1. Let the child wear something they are comfortable in.

2. Let them play. Kids don't want to sit for long periods so follow them through a play activity. Plan to sit on the ground so you can shoot at their eye level.

3. Shoot later in the day. This will avoid harsh shadows and the infamous squinting.

4. Start a conversation with your camera in front of your face. This way they will look into the camera to talk to you.

5. Tell a funny kid joke, start shooting at the punch-line.

About this photo: This picture was taken at Ludington state park. A shade tree provided diffused (soft) lighting. Suckers made a great prop because they last a long time and kids love them. Have you ever seen an angry kid eating a sucker? It's just not possible.
 I also bribe children with animal crackers when shooting in studio. This works well because they are non-staining. I have them hold the cracker in their hands closed. I tell them"I want you to hold the cracker in your hand until it flashes as many years as you are old (pointing to my light-box). I have found this to be a fun game for younger children who are anxious in a studio setting.

Going from A to Z

Here is a classic example of post processing, which is photography lingo for improving the overall quality of a picture.
Step 1. Remove distracting elements (such as people in the background)
Step 2. Make the sky blue-er ( if that's a word)
Step 3. Use a special plug-in (on-one skintune) to soften the skin and give it a glow.
Step 4. Perform a color and contrast shift on the sand to bring out texture.
Step 5. Put your logo on it so people can hire you to take great portraits of them!
(Click on picture to see larger version)

About the photo: This picture was taken on the shores of an Indiana state park (yes I was surprised to learn that Indian has shoreline on Lake Michigan too). The model Erin has great skin to begin with, which saves me a lot of time on re-touching. Erin has always wanted to go to the ocean, for the time being she settled on lake michigan. I felt this was a successful shoot in that showcased her natural unkempt beauty.