I have, over the years, photographed on three continents and in over 15 countries, in many different aspects of the photography business. I can tell you, that photographing children can give you some of your most enjoyable, frustrating, interesting and toughest times you will have peeking through a view finder or pushing the shutter release of your camera. They move fast when you want them to sit still, they touch everything, especially what they are not supposed to touch, they can take the word ‘NO’ as encouragement to keep doing what they were doing, they too often don't take or understand your or anyone else’s instructions, they will damage your equipment if you don't constantly watch them, they will cry, scream, pout and stomp their little feet, their noses will run, they will cough, sneeze and spit up on you and will inevitably, leave chaos in their wake.

'T is for the faint of heart.

Actually, most children are a lot of fun to work with and they have an energy and vitality we can only envy. You will also find children who is so sweet, cute, and cooperative they melt your heart. often these children enjoy themselves during the shoot so much they will not leave unless you let them give you a hug. These children definitely make the job rewarding.

Who Is This Book For?
It is intended for the professional photographer, their amateur counterpart, parents or anyone who simply wants to take better photos of children.

Don’t expect people to be able pose themselves, no matter the pose your attempting. Telling someone to lean against a tree and act natural; they won’t have clue as to how they would normally do so.

Like smiling, casual posing is not automatic. People don’t think about how they smile when they are happy, they just do it. When asked to smile, they don’t know how to flip that switch without proper stimuli. The same is true when people are posing, it is easier for you to go lean against the tree, position yourself the way you want them. Then tell them “I just want you to do something like this, you can make it your own, but something like this”.
Always be prepared to correct what you need to, head position, hands, and so on.

Many 'photographers' will tell you to stand back and photograph things as they come, don't worry about posing people, it looks more natural to just let it happen. While there are times this is good advice, such as candids of someone playing, work, dancing, etc, for most situations it is a cop out. Well composed portraits rarely happen on their own.

Some of the best poses look natural, it just take a little planning to produce. For example, when you are. . . . . . . .

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