Lessons

Lesson Info

How to Work with Kids

I don't know so much today. When we shoot, it will do it as much because I spent a lot of time before coming here talking to everyone. So we've kind of done some of this stuff, but I usually take a least 15 minutes at the beginning of our shoot. Um, to talk. Um, my camera's out, but I really just get down on the floor. If it's little or kids or walk with them. I do a lot of special well, with little girls. Um, I do manicures a lot of time before. Well, not full manicures, but like we paint nails, Um, we do little things like that before the shoot, just to kind of get that intimate time. Teoh. Just find out who they are. I can ask them questions. Like what? You know, What have they been doing? When do they have, you know, with what's the most fun they've had this summer and it really lets me into them? It helps me even though it's only 15 minutes, sometimes 10. Sometimes you know less. It's so helps during the shoot because all the sudden, like I know them so much better than had I just...

gone in and started posing and started shooting. Um, I also do like I also do in my turn your turn with kids, um, where I let them choose what to do. Whether it's, you know, if we're on location, whether it's them picking where we're going to shoot the pose. Um, what, you know, accessories of the clothes. Or I bring a lot of props when I shoot, so they get to pick what they want to play with, and then they get their turn, and then it's my turn. So then I get toe, do what I want with them, and it works really well because the kids were really excited to bring themselves and to be able to make those decisions. Because most times in situations like that, kids are just told. Go here, sit like this. Listen, be quiet. Quit touching your sister. So it's It works really well. We also I play games so light in the mood. Red light, Green light and, Simon says, are perfect for photographs. Simon says. I just put him in the poses. I want them in. So yeah, games, a really good also, it's really important to me individual attention. Um, I like to give each kid their own time in that beginning time. When I'm getting to know them, I try to do one on one with each the kids. You can have two siblings that are night and day, like what works for one of them doesn't work for the work for the other. Um, yes, it makes it so I could just tune into their personality. If you know if I have one sibling that's more introspective and quiet, then I'll spend my time during the shoot, you know, doing more subdued. Maybe do them when If they have a sibling that's a little more hyperactive, needs to go, run, do things like that. If I have ones that are full of energy than I know we can do dancing and running and jumping off things and more playful. So, um yeah, it's definitely not a one size fits all. Um, I also will have sometimes older siblings if I have or even a younger sibling. If you have someone that's kind of like a and not really feeling it. Making them my helper, I find helps a lot. All of a sudden. There part of it. And then when I put them in front of the camera, there are a lot more accommodating. So what? I do what I ask, Um, and also, sometimes it does help If you have ah, less enthusiastic sibling. If their sibling is the one, like being silly and trying to make them laugh, sometimes they're better at it than I am. Saul. Just have them like stand behind me, pick the head out due to fund stuff. So, um, those are just a couple ways to get the kids more involved and kind of just tune in, um, tune in Thio Thio What they're doing. I also kind of want to go over. What do you do when you have kids that just aren't interested in being there? Because that definitely happens when I find most of it is. It's more about shyness and uncomfortable being in front of the camera or just being overwhelmed. Um, even if parents don't say a word, kids feel when parents come in, stressed out and wanting everything to be perfect. Um, so then there's a few tricks on that one. Like I said, I always do the slow intro, but we Also, I never scheduled back to back shoots. Um, very rarely do I even do two shoots in today. I always have plenty of time. We if we need to take 20 my break. I mean, we've taken longer breaks, toe let them snack. Drink, go. Run. Um, and sometimes it's just like they just need to not have a camera in their face for a few minutes so they can reset and feel like they're not on on on. Um, so, yeah, I I'm not one. I don't think I've ever done many shoots or any kind of back to back just because I think it stresses me out. Maybe the kids feed off that, and it's a failure question from Ghana who likes no. Do you ever struggle with kids? You ever hit that point? Oh, definitely. Yeah. I mean, I shoot several 100 kids a year, so yeah, You know, I have never had a kid, though, that I didn't get good results. Like, get good results picture wise out of, um, but it. So I might spend two hours and only get 15 or 20 minutes of good shooting, but that, you know, that still gives you 15 or shots usually. So it's just like there. No, it's not gonna get 80 shots right that they normally but yeah, definitely. And that's why I have all these tricks is because over the years I've had to pull out every single one of them. Fantastic. And that's what's great about the three days is we're gonna get see plenty of opportunity for you. Solve some of those problems. Yeah, well, hopefully no way. Enthusiastic. Think it way. Have a couple questions from the audience. It looks like how long to usually schedule your shoots for set The expectations for the family, usually about two. I always tell them two hours. Sometimes I go a little 2.5 rarely doesn't go to three. It's usually about two hours. Yeah, about two. I've got a question. It's back just a little bit. But you were talking about that. You you, uh do you shoot for the clan, or do you shoot for yourself first? Because you were talking about If you have an idea, you feel like you need to get that idea out there. And I guess my question is I sometimes have these ideas in my head and my Children don't want to be pulled in front of the camera anymore so much so do you. Then start looking for somebody Or do you, you know, just have this base that you can tap into or yeah, So like I had mentioned, I keep like a shoots to dio schedule like on my death. So if I had come up with a concept for a shoot, I put it in there. I always have. I would say there's never less than, like six in there, so it's really nice because a lot of times someone's hiring me to shoot. I can, like, kind of look through there and really come into any of these fit you and tap into it that way, going or yet Like I said, I still I mean, I do a lot of like, on my own time, find my own model type, shoots four shoots like you're saying maybe they're just maybe it's something that just doesn't fit. You know, any of the people I've been working with latelys and I just have to do it. You just snag kids and get it. Yeah, yeah, and I mean, nowadays with, like, Facebook and all like it's I just put anybody have a six year old that looks like this that would want to do this. I won't ask you Teoh to recreate a shoot that you've done for them. I have been asked that normally I try and, like, steer them a little bit like after that will be there like initial. And then we'll start going through some of the questions and it'll pop ideas. And so we might start and it might have the same general concept, but I'll try to, like, make it aimed more at them. There's been, I guess there's been a few times that I'll just do it cause they're pretty insistent and I don't That's another thing, too, is I don't show all the work I do necessarily because, well, a my blawg disappeared like a year ago, never to be returned. Eso my website. Obviously, I'm just gonna keep you know exactly what I want to be showcasing. So yeah, I think I think it's okay. I think it's okay sometimes, like if they're insistent, it's okay, toe. But I try just to make it more creative for me and a portfolio item for me, but, um, yeah, the question is really help with that. Like even like I said, where they'll come with that idea. And by the time we get done, talking will be excited about something else. So, Shannon, we have a few questions from Memories by Eliza and will trillion photography about, um, how you handle the parents. How is that? You see, you take a deep breath, you know, way talked about, like, tough kids. But how do you keep the parents calm enough to work with the kids? Are they there? Are they present? Is this something you want to address now or talk about later? Yeah, well, so I will touch on it a little bit later. So I guess I'm a little bit just different situation because a lot of my shoots air just the kids. So in those kind of cases, the parents are like, you know, sit here on the couch is have fun. Don't worry, stay away. Nice terms, family wise. If I see a parent, that's stressing, and I see a parent that's really like hovering and, you know, doing the thing where they're like on each side of you trying to get the attention like that's not helping because they're not looking at my camera. Um, I do tell them, you know, you hired me to get the shots. If I'm if I'm comfortable and I don't look like I'm stressed, don't even worry. Because until you see me looking stressed there, I got the shots. Were you like So I try and give them a little. Maybe you'll still have parents every once in a while, though, that you're just like glad that was that. Okay, Perfect. Um, another thing. Ah. Ah, lot of kids. Especially in this age when all kids have, like, ipads IPhones and they take the pictures and they look at the pictures, they're very interested in the pictures you're taking. Like it's no longer just where you studio, click, click. And they just don't realize that later on a picture is gonna show up for it. They know now, um so sometimes all it And that's another thing with the sibling thing. Sometimes I'll let like the older sibling like here, you take a picture of your brother or, um, bring you know, I have being a photographer. Have all the you know different cameras I've picked up in antique stores and, ah, whole plethora of cameras that are full of Fillmore working necessarily, so you can bring that as a prop to. So sometimes I let them play and be like you, the photographer, or I'll do things like show them the back of the camera and be like which do you like better? I like this one or this one, and they're like, Oh, that one. I'm like, Okay, let's go do more like that then So it gives them I guess I'm control. I think that's just such a important thing when you're taking pictures of kids will make them feel like they're an equal part of it. It's not just you bossing them around and telling them what to do to let them feel like they're part of the process and they get to have fun. Um, then that I think that that really hides and, like, hide help take, um And like I said before, allowing the extra time to play with the kids, hide and seek actually makes for a really cute pictures because you could do it behind trees. You could do it like she was doing it in the bushes. Um, so games try and dig in your bag of games that actually result. Like I said, Simon says, is amazing. It's my favorite game to play when we're shooting, because it lets me get them voluntarily into any polls. I want, um, red light. Greenlee is a great one to, especially if you want some, like running fun, playful, but in sometimes just playing for a while to I don't necessarily have to be taking the pictures. But if you get them in that playful spirit, even if we're just running or playing, ring around the Rosie where, like my hands can't even take the picture if you get the giggling and having fun, and then you can just back up and, um and like I had said before where, maybe I only get 20 minutes of good time. Um, a lot of it is back and forth like that. A lot of it is I have to play just as much as I get to put the camera up in front of my face with some kids. Another thing, too, is involving their favorite things. I love having animals in the shoot um, might be like my second favorite thing is to put animals in, um, and I think it just like it just takes that anxiety level down. I think when kids especially, like who doesn't want their dog or their puppy or their you know, their cat, whatever with them cuddling, it just takes that whole energy down to like a more comfortable place. And the questioner is another. That's another thing like Try and touch on is if they want things like this, Um added, and it just I don't know. I think it just adds like an element of joy and playfulness, and, um, and also, if they're special talents, that's questionnaire supposed to bring out those things. I have tons of kids who are just amazing like this little girl. She's so sweet, Such a good little finger, My birthday. This year I got a voicemail and she's paying me like the special rendition of Happy Birthday. But just stuff like that, I have I mean, so many kids, you know, they're in music lessons, and I use it as an opportunity, like let him show off like, you know, what's your favorite song to play? Can you do this? Can you do that? And, um, I think it gives it gives them that little boost of confidence. It, you know, brings about their own interests. Um, I think any time people like Teoh, I think the other people are interested in them, and kids were the same way. So toe have them bring things that they're good at and to ask them questions. I'm always, you know, trying to engage them and find out. Exactly. You know what makes them what makes them excited? It's also kind of fun to dio, um, things in shoots you necessarily wouldn't think of as issue like this little one is like, this was for an editorial, but like, this little boy is like a chess club. So even it like, if they do stuff like that, this one, the faux dad got defeated in the game. But, um, incorporating things like that that are part of their day to day. Um, you learned so much like the questioners. I even got back for the family day. You learned. Like what they do is a family, like, every day. We you know, at night we all get on the bed and we read a book together. So those little things and those are the things that are going to make them look at the images. It's gonna be what makes your image is unique as well, because you're not putting. It's not like you putting what your emotions are on every single, every single subject. It allows their own. So it makes everything just more unique and more I just think more fun. And sometimes you just captured the moment when they're pouty and not wanting to be there in staring because who doesn't love a great little power? Uh, some of my favorite pictures are ones where there doesn't don and they're like in the corner and their heads down and the little eyelashes they're looking through. And, um, yeah, and then another idea, if they don't seem to be really into you, is to pull back, go far away and make it about the scene. Um, capture them, climbing the tree, capture them, um, you know, running or just, you know, picking flowers. They make beautiful. They're not as interesting as, like, portrait portrait, but it's makes a more beautiful like huge images are gorgeous. When is like a huge landscape. And just like this little person doing something, doing something cute. Um, and I was also going to talk about my bag of tricks that I actually keep in my camera bag. Um, I think I'll show that kind of stuff. Um, when actually do the shoot, I'll probably pull this stuff out rather than pulling it all out right now. Um, but I can't just really small. I'm not a big packer. I don't like to carry because I'm already carrying so much stuff to shoots most times. So I keep my camera bag. I just have a little Kelly more meanie. Get both que Everybody's in there. My lenses and I have a couple of pockets to fit everything. So it's small stuff I carry stickers in their stickers were great for my forehead to get them to look at camera, um, little ones. If you have ones. We have a nine month old today, so it will be interesting to see I don't know them, but you could put I put stickers on the four where I sit them and it keeps them from Carling away, usually because they'll sit there trying to like get the little sticker off the ground and then just calling their name and getting that look up every once in a while, Um, and also his prizes. At the end, I give away all that kind of stuff. Another great trick, especially if you like a group of kids I'm trying to get their attention with. I use noisemakers like, you know, party blowers. Um, because all of a sudden it's brew and everybody looks, looks up and usually makes everyone laugh, too. So it's like a double bonus. Um, I use. I carry little finger puppets. The finger puppets take their picture. The finger puppets talk to them. The finger puppets talk to me about them, Um, but I just get tiny little. And it's another thing that's like a really inexpensive thing to buy that if you need to leave it with the kid, it's not a huge it's It's not a huge loss. Um, balloons I will bring. They never look bad in a picture and usually entertain most kids. Um, and then the props that I bring her always aims at the kid that I'm photographing and I bring an array. I have a lot of like the little ukulele you saw her playing in the last one. I keep a lot of like, little musical instruments. I have, like, little tiny bongos. I had little recorders, ukulele, Um, I clearance shop all the time. Like I keep a little arsenal in my garage. I have, like a Kia shelving the cubed, and I just have little bins. And I have, like Ben's Marked is like music, woodland themed sports things. So it's all very organized, and I get everything super cheap. Um, that's one question I get asked a lot on my my sessions is How much does it cost? How much do you spend? Um, their son that costs a lot boats. That was all client, though, but most shoots I don't spend more than like like $50 will be on the high end, I would say. And if you price yourself, um, I have pricing for style sessions, so it always more than covers it, Um, so it's not expensive. If you're like I said, it's keeping that in front of you that keeping the inspiration from the be all it's always on my mind. Everywhere I go, I mean, I go into North German, I'll be, you know, I will catch on like a little display they have. And, um, I've actually gotten displays out of, like, the front of, you know, like Children's place or places like that. Like what he's gonna do with that back to school set When you days are definite back to school. Technically, they're supposed to give it to you, but, um, so it's just always constantly, I feel like in order to stay on top of it, it is something that you just have to, and it makes it so much less work when it's time to do it. Shoot. If I had to gather everything and do everything for each individual shoot, it would be a huge production, like every time. So just staying on top of it, watching, um gosh, target. They have those 90% off sometimes love those and bases. Um, any of those kind of places you can shop the clearance sections, and it's it's all good. So, um yeah, bigger tricks. Um, I did. Would you would you be interested? And I did do the questionnaire for the girls today. Um, would you guys kind of be interested in going through the questionnaire a little bit. Awesome. Okay, um, we had two little girls, uh, 10 and five. I believe there, um and so I went through, and I asked them like, Where's your favorite place to have your picture taken? Um, she we can't do it. She said something with the water or sea life, which was funny, because I actually do have a shoot. But I did like an underwater scene in studio, like saying I already did it. Um, what part of taking pictures is most fun? I think I usually enjoy doing fun poses, which is a great thing to hear. Do you like to dress up? Yes, I like to dress up. It's not too little kid ish. Uh, what's your favorite thing to do with your friends? Listen to music, dress up in fashionable clothes, talk, draw and climb trees, Which is kind of where I got, um, the little set we're doing today. We're doing it pretty. I tried to keep. That's pretty simple for the first couple days so we could concentrate more on the interactions and the posing. The last day is when we're going to get into like my ideas behind styling and things. But I did have these little pillows that I had, um, gotten for another shoot, and they're all like tree trunks and clouds. And so it's like, Oh, that would be cute to incorporate. Since we have to be in studio, we can kind of bring in her little, um, love of the outdoors. Um, if you could pick adventures to go on with your family, what would you pick go to Hawaii or scuba diving? But in regular swimsuits, not wetsuits and playing the handle? What's your favorite color? Pale blue Sea. You'll notice today the girls are wearing blue Um, and then what is your favorite toy? Which this is a sad story. It's her plush dog named Fluffy, but she just lost it this week. I know I'm really sad for, um, she had it since she was a week old. Her 50 nail polishes, my watercolor paints and my mom's heels. So right there that tells me like the manicure thing would be an amazing idea with her cause right there. You know that like she's into that kind of stuff. Um, I love that it breaks the barrier to because like, I'm right here with the girls and it's like, quiet, you know, it's just between the two of us. Um, and the watercolor paints and Mom Seals tells me that she's, you know, more playful, and she would be in into more fun things like that. And then her little sister, Where's your favorite place? A park. So that again, that kind of is why I brought in the like, outdoorsy type pillows. What part of taking pictures of the most fun posing their mom is a photographer, so that might I want itself to their love opposing. Do you like to dress up? Yes, with an exclamation point. They were going good on this one. What's your favorite thing do to do with your friends? Pretended mutual Woz Way might be doing some barking. Teoh. Um, if you could picture pick and adventure to go with your family, what would you pick? Go to Hawaii and eating coconut? What is your favorite color? Aqua, Which there's a little bit of green and stuff through her. What's your favorite toy? Bangui. I think stuff penguin that my sister bought for me with her own money and surprised me. Um, And then I go into I have questions for the parents to, um and like, this is this is what I love to get. So I ask, you know, the quirk and unique things about and she just responds. I just love their sisterhood and how much they love and protect each other in parentheses. They also fight like cats and dogs, but they will be on their best. They will feel your best Selves for you. Uh, Lolo. Such a creative, imaginative girl. Her capacity of creating things out of nothing really is inspiring to me to the big heart and a great sense of humor. Olivia is funny and quirky and incredibly sweet. I love watching her drawn pain and see the way she sees the world and reflects her heart for the picture she makes. I love how much she admires her big sister. So things like that just really like what? Like it lets me know they're going to be, like, lovey sisters that I can, like, posed together and do things like that. Um, in like so then any little tidbits that you would want to want me to know and she tell Olivia Canby start off shy, but she'll warm up. And so it's just it's It's good, Teoh. I think I have all this knowledge beforehand because it makes me approach the shooting a totally different way. Then, um then I would normally that I would normally approach it. Uh, is there any more questions? Way? Have a handful of questions. You ready to take a Yeah, that sounds great. Perfect. So one of the question and the some of the stuff you talked about earlier somewhere is really right. Straight on topic you mentioned earlier. And this is from Nikko Nelly Nocona. Lloyd, you mentioned that you used to shoot your friends kids when you're sort of gearing up. Were you doing those for free? A za means for practicing and getting yourself out in the industry. Or was it a charge? You know, it was bowl because I photographed a lot of my friends family like, so they would hire me for the family shoot. So with friends, I just had more of that comfort level where I could, you know, say, hey, do you mind if for half an hour at the end of the shoot I do this idea. So in that case, it was paid, but I guess not paid to do what I wanted to do. But I still got it in under the fate umbrella. But like I said, I still do tons of, um, pre pre shoots where I seek out, I seek out the models and find like I like I said before, I don't ever want to do a shoot That's not totally like that Doesn't fit the child that I'm photographing. So I'm pretty careful. Teoh, if I have a theme in mind to find a kid that really like just melts into it or if I have a kid that's really interesting and like, inspires me to dio something that it's all created around them. But yeah, so it's both. And, uh, one of our learners out there says I may have missed this, but are you a primarily a location photographer or do you also have a studio? Uh, yeah, I travel a lot. I want to do a lot of on location stuff around home, but yeah, I'm part of Ah, we have a great little set up where it's a studio share. He just get on the calendar and pick your days and going when you need it with my own questions. Natural light or strobe boat? Both there, too. Well, I'm 90% natural light. The only time I tend to use lighting is if it's for the theme or the look that I'm going for. I don't use it normally to create light for so mostly natural. Great. So we're good up here. Okay. So I thought I heard you say that you did like a little manicures with the little girls. What do you find? Works best with little boys, So, yeah, little boys were a little bit rougher. I mean, I still I'm very hands on. So normally, when they're changing shoes or getting their short on, I try. And instead of having the parent trust them, I try and get in there and be the one to be, like, tying their shoes and straightening their shirt. And even if they're already dressed, I still try and go in. And like, even if they don't need fixed, I still try and go in and kind of like ST him up just to get that close. Um, and I don't know if it's like getting in peoples bubble that when you back off like, OK, she's away, it creates that relaxation. But I just finally getting up close like that. It just makes it more comfortable all around. So yeah, little boys, I don't have a little thing like that that I do. But I do bring so ever issue, even if it's not like editorial commercial. Even I have, like a little, um, bag I bring that has new combs, Bobby pins, chapstick gloss, like all these just little things. So sometimes it's even just like all to let the parents know beforehand that weaken, fix hair and stuff. You know when they get here. So sometimes, like I do the boy's hair or, um, if I have a makeup, her hair person that's doing all that, I just stick right there. And that's when I made conversation with them. Is when they're stuck in the chair? Yeah, yeah, boy, either. Yeah, they don't normally get I would do manicure if they asked. Vivid asks the Shannon share her ideas with the parents before the shoot. Or or does she just take the information from the questionnaire and run with it? ID only share first because I would hate to show up and haven't been like what? Um yeah, so I usually put together like a little Justin photo shop. I'll just make 8/ by 11 canvas, and I'll throw, um, pictures on there of like, some of my ideas. All throw, uh, ideas. Like if they are the ones parading close, maybe I'll throw together a couple of clothing ideas. So I want them to at least show up with a pretty good visual in their head just so that there's no no surprises. And I know that they're gonna be excited and happy. And you build like mood boards for pretty much almost all your shoots. Pretty much, yeah. I mean, there's some people that once you work with him a bit, they just even is talking. You're on the same way, like, but, yeah, they're pretty pretty comment. I do it for me a lot just to like get my thoughts organized because I think it's a great way to, like, make sure not forgetting anything and make sure it's not missing, because once you have it laid out like that in front of you can oh, this might need a little more here. I mean, maybe I'm missing something here, so yeah, I do a lot for myself as well. Perfect. Perfect. All right, So I'm going to give a thanks to the folks out there on the Internet who are watching from all over the world. And you guys, your questions are fantastic. I've asked if you already this morning, but I would encourage you guys to keep up the conversation, keep the questions coming. Ah, lot of the stuff that you folks are talking about equipment and how she handled certain situations is all coming up in the next three days. So, Shannon, speaking of that, we're gonna take we're going, going into our next segment. Let's talk about because we're hitting the road in the floor. We're hitting the shoot. So let's talk about what we're we can expect for the next segment. Please. We are going to like I said with the the interview, we're gonna be shooting two little girls 10 and five. We through the little interview, I kind of figured out like the kind of clothes, and I also talked to close with Mom, so I actually brought the close today floor and not provided all over all of our girls clothes for today. So they're going to wearing cute little stuff like that. It's gonna be a pretty, like I said it. Pretty simple studio set up just because I really want to work on showing how I have the girls interact how I interact with them, um, stuff like that. But it should be a fun little shoot. They sound like they're gonna be really excited for it. And all about the posing and looking cute speaking, opposing. I love I do a little bit of kids photography myself, and Simon says thing that's fantastic, cause you're getting warm up. They don't even know what you're doing. I my degree, actually, which will be a teacher. So my degrees in human development. So I took tons of psychology and, like, sociology, and I'm, like, no better money spent on learning reverse psychology, right?