“I just want a nice picture of my children all together”
Aaaaarrggghhh- these few words can strike fear into the heart of every photographer.
Now, if your kids are naturally huggy and love being in each others space then getting a nice picture may
not be too difficult.
However,if your kids are like the majority of siblings, where poking, punching, pulling hair, kicking ankles is the norm and occupying the same airspace as each other is nearly impossible then we might have a wee problem.
I say to everybody – I’ll do my best but I can’t promise you perfection. My skills are mostly in manipulating light however I have learned a few kiddie wrangling tricks over the years. I’m not afraid of bribery – its a great motivator for the 3-5s. I think Funworld and Macdonalds have made a fortune with the promises made in my studio! I’m also happy to divest any shred of dignity in the quest for a good photograph – baby shark anybody? But I’m no magician. If your kids don’t naturally get on no amount of persuasion on my part will change that.
So what are we going to do? Well it may be time to rethink the family group photo. Have you considered a multi-frame image?
It is still all your children in the one frame but just not sitting miserably together or making faces to ruin the image. A multi-frame lets each child shine. You can show off their unique differences. They can have their own personalities in front of the camera. And you will get a truly original piece of wall art that really tells the story of your children.
But not only that – you and your children get to have a brilliant photo experience.
I’ve been doing this job long enough to see the signs. Kids are already fractious because they’ve been told to behave. You are stressed in case the kids don’t behave (by the way – I really never expect kids to behave, so you don’t need to worry. However, I know its natural as a parent that you don’t want them to show you up, trust me – they’re in a weird place already – I don’t judge anybody) The session starts and one of the children won’t do as he’s told or keeps making funny faces ( again don’t worry about this – its natural) then you get frustrated which leads to anger then despair and then tears all round and if we’re lucky I manage to grab a couple of decent shots. However, the whole experience leaves us all feeling a bit drained. You don’t feel you’ve got what you wanted and I feel that I’ve let you down.
However, if we start with the premise that we’re not even going to attempt to get all the children together and we treat each child individually, letting each personality shine through then I believe we’ll be able to create an art piece that would really have impact.
Something like a ‘niner’ frame with just head and shoulders of your 3 children making a funny expression in each window. If you love pop art this could be a perfect solution for you. Why not celebrate their talents whether they are sporty, musical or artistic. Bring along rugby balls, cricket bats, ice skates, violins, clarinets, easels, paintbrushes, sewing machines, fabric etc…and create a triptych or a wall collection which celebrates their own uniqueness
With so many options available nowadays the family group is really getting a bit passé.
I know you’re thinking it’ll take ages to do that. I bet it wont. It’ll probably take less time than I would spend wheedling and cajoling your children to sit nicely and smile. Each child will be having their own kind of fun while the others can watch or they can relax in the viewing area. I bet as soon as I start playing with one the others will soon want in on the act.
If getting a family photo is on your agenda but you don’t think your kids will behave why not get in touch and we’ll see what we can create