The light is perfect.
The situation is perfect.
You grab your camera...
...and then you say "BOBBY! SAY CHEESE!!!"
Bobby runs away. Or he smiles in such an akward way that you know he's just trying to get the camera out of his face.
Lost shot!
I consider this a photographic case of "nature versus nurture." When you look back on life's more beautiful moments (captured in photos of not), they often aren't canned or forced. They are natural, and natural moments are captivating. They force the imagination back to those fleeting moments in life that we chose to whip the camera out for. However, our very well-trained more nurturing side just can't help but ask our children to snap out of those natural poses in order to say "CHEESE!" After all, our mothers and grandmothers did that with us, so it MUST be the correct way to take pictures, right?!
Well, right. Kinda. Not really.
Honestly, speaking as both a photographer and as a mom, I must say that the answer is SOMETIMES. There are moments where "CHEESE!" is appropriate (like large family photos and in group settings where you NEED to sit everyone down in order to get a shot). But, when photographing my own children, in most situations, I have learned to put the "CHEESE!" away because (most of the time) asking my children to pose has only resulted in stress and lost photo opporutnities. Even when I take my pro photos, I always try to get the most "posey" shots finished at the beginning of a session, because I know that my clients' children will be the most cooperative at that point in a shoot. After that, I get to use my creative side to capture the family in the most natural way possible.
Posing is one of the most difficult aspects of photography. I will be COMPLETELY honest, too, in telling you that it's often what I critique myself most on as a photographer because, even if you have the camera's settings set PERFECTLY, you have to consider the person on the other side of the lens at all times. What works for one person (client, child, or whole groups, too) may not work for the next. So, while taking photos of your kids at home, I am going to suggest trying something different this month: UN-posing.
Un-posing is exactly what it sounds like. Not posing. This month, really try to observe your kids as they play or just do something plain cute. Do they have big cheesy grins on their faces as they do any of these things? If so, great! If not, what are they doing? Are they concentrating intently? Are they squealing in delight? Are they glaring at you as you try to whip out that camera? (haha!)
My main point in that I want to convey is that I would like you to think of your camera as an accessory to a moment, and not a stressful piece of equipment. If you learn to take photos of things that don't force your kids or others to remove themselves from special everyday moments, then you will be surprised at how much more relaxed your kids will be when you DO need them to pose.
Happy clicking!
