likelihood of him or her holding the pose for more than
a nanosecond is slim. Additionally, since little ones are
mostly non-verbal, posing instructions are completely in-
effective. So then, how does one pose children, especially
small children?
The Basics.
Facial Analysis.The minute any good photographer
meets a client he begins to make mental notes as to which
side of the face he wants to photograph, any irregularities
(like one eye smaller than the other), facial shape (round,
elliptical, elongated), color of the eyes, posture, and so
on. The expert photographer will catalog these features
and devise a strategy to light, pose, and photograph the
child. Keep in mind that while most babies are blessed
with flawless skin, their tresses may be a bit sparse at first.
Also, depending on how the child was born (i.e., either
natural childbirth or Caesarean), he may have an ellipti-
cally shaped head.
Use an Assistant.When photographing small chil-
dren and babies, you really need to have an assistant.
Whether the assistant is down at eye level with the child
or behind the camera is strictly up to you—whatever
works best. While one of you is distracting the child, the48 CHILDREN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK
A
lthough this is a book concerning fine portraiture, there is re-
ally no point in going into the various formal posing rules and
procedures used for adults. They simply don’t apply. Even if a two-
year-old could achieve proper head-and-neck axis, for example, the
5. POSING..
FACING PAGE,TOP—The photographer must put newborns into an
environment where they are supported. Here, David Bentley cre-
ated a soft bed that confines the baby and yet is comfortable
enough for her to sleep soundly. If you look carefully you can see
the outlines of the baby bed under the many layers of blankets.
FACING PAGE,BOTTOM—Unlike newborns and toddlers, who are
often photographed from above, photographing older kids re-
quires that you use adult standards of camera height, in this case
around chin height, to divide the portrait into equal halves (hori-
zontally). This priceless portrait was created by Deborah Lynn
Ferro.
LEFT—Studios that photograph lots of babies and toddlers have a
variety of props, like this beautiful painted beach background and
large oyster shell. What you don’t see are the cloth diapers and
other padding inserted in the shell to support baby, who appears
to be feeling right at home. Photograph by Deborah Lynn Ferro.