When the child is standing, hands become a real prob-
lem. If you are photographing a boy, have him stuff his
hands in his pockets—it’s an endearing pose. You can also
have him fold his arms, although children sometimes
adopt a defiant stance in this pose. With a little girl, have
her put one hand on her hip, making sure you can see
her fingers. Full-size chairs make ideal props for standing
children because the child’s hands can easily be posed on
the arm of the chair or along the chair back.
When a little child is sitting, have them curl one leg
under the other. This makes them into a human tripod—
very stable and upright. Children are comfortable in this
pose and have the full use of both hands so that they can
hold or play with any toy or a prop you may have given
them. Best of all, they usually don’t wander off from this
pose, unless they’re very active.
Posing Tips by Age.
Babies.Babies, particularly at early stages in their devel-
opment, are inseparable from their mothers. What hap-
pens when you want to “remove” baby from Mom to
make the portrait? Baby will not normally react well. To
avoid this situation, you can make some beautiful close-
up portraits of the baby without Mom ever having to
hand the child over. For example, you can have Mom lie
down on the floor with the baby next to her. There is no
feeling of detachment since Mom is nearby (just position
the mother slightly out of frame). If she is like most
moms, she can rest the baby on her hip and lean away,
giving you a clear vantage point for a head-and-shoulders
portrait of the baby, who will be very happy to be with his
or her mother. There are many variations of this pose and,
since the baby will move wherever you tell the mother to
move, you can pose the child with precision. Try to in-
clude the baby’s hands in the photo, which can be easily
done by giving the child something interesting to hold
on to. Hands more completely define a baby portrait.
Babies produce an extraordinary range of expressions.
Sometimes, by zooming in with an 80–200mm zoom
lens, for example, you can fill the frame with the baby’s
face. If he or she is not being too wiggly, you can elicit a
dozen completely different facial expressions. A series like
this makes a beautiful sequence or montage. Be careful
not to loom over the baby with too short a focal-length
lens, or you will look like a Cyclops to him!
Two-Year-Olds.When two-year-olds are involved,
even the best laid plans rarely work out. You have to be
flexible and open.
Don’t compose an overly tight set in which to photo-
graph the child. Two-year-olds will do whatever they
want. They are experiencing mobility (walking around)
and the beginnings of speech (getting what they want by
asking for it), and this leads to an independence that
causes them to be known as “terrible twos.” A loosely
structured set in which they have some mobility (or bet-
ter yet, an outdoor scene where they have a lot of mobil-
ity) is recommended. You can, of course, with good
communication and patience, direct the headstrong two-
year-old—but not for long.
When working with two-year-olds, it is best to hand-
hold the camera and follow them as they move around.58 CHILDREN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK
LEFT—Pictured in Mom’s lap, this big boy is completely fascinated
by Mom’s gold rings. Working in close and eliminating all but the
fundamental parts of the image strengthens the photograph. Image
made with Nikon D70S and 70–300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-
Nikkor at the 300mm setting. Photograph by Frances Litman.
FACING PAGE—Small babies, particularly after a feeding, need a nap,
which is a perfect time to make a sleeping shot. Here the sleeping
baby is held carefully and securely in a chiffon net. The photogra-
pher, Jeff Hawkins, was able to take his time and produce an ele-
gant lighting effect on the baby and the fabric.