shoot. The end result is a wide range of expressions—
and, of course, she snaps a few of the crying moments to
round out the personality series. By maintaining control
of the set, not rewarding manipulative behavior, and
using fun as an incentive she consistently achieves the
wide range of expressions for which she is sought after—
and children look forward to returning to the studio.”
Stacy was surprised by what Maureen considered a
hard-line approach. She says, “It made me think, ‘Wow—
I thought it was common sense to not let the child con-
trol the situation. And, of course, no one should reward
misbehaving. Good behavior gets great rewards and bad
behavior gets... well,nothing. Once the toddler learns
that, all I have to do is find out what motivator is stronger
than their will to object. And I am strictly referring to
toddlers,not babies under ten months old.”
Photographer Preparation.
Stacy has a very definite approach to each new situation.
She says, “Never approach a child and start speaking to
them without speaking to the parent first. Don’t put a
child on the spot to have to ‘like you’ or even have an in-
terest in you. A child will probably wonder what you rep-
resent to them. They may be frightened that you are a
babysitter or teacher—they might think ‘Mommy might
leave me here’ or wonder if they are going to get a shot.”
The idea is to have Mom introduce you to the child.
When you say hello, watch how the child immediately
looks at Mom for non-verbal clues (“Do we like this per-
son or is this person a threat?”). Very young children,
under 9–12 months, cannot even distinguish themselves
as individual beings from their mother. Therefore, they
cannot be expected to cooperate fully if they do not have
a mother or close caregiver to give them visual clues and
guidance on how to feel about a situation.
Children will mirror the parent’s internal feelings.
Stacy warns, “Nervous moms make nervous babies. Do
everything in your power to make the parents feel good
about their choice of your studio and remind them of
their power over the child’s feelings.”
After the introduction is made, Stacy suggests that you
do not take a serious interest in trying to be friends—that
is too much pressure for a child. Instead, show them
some toys you have set out for them. Let them know that
your house and your toys are for them to play with. “If
your studio is set up right, a child will want to get to
those toys immediately,” she says.Studio Setup and Scheduling.
Have the front room in your studio set up in a way that
feels more like a home than a place of business. For pho-
tographers photographing primarily children and fami-
lies, this is a great way to disarm any anxiety that may
exist for adults, and create a better environment for a
child to meet a new adult. Says Stacy, “To the child, it
feels more like they are visiting one of Mommy’s friends.”
Traditionally, parents think of professional photo sessions72 CHILDREN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK
Expressions like this are not unusual from a Stacy Bratton photo
shoot. Children in the 7- to 12-month-old category can sit up and
are more alert than younger babies. Stacy says of this age group,
“Eight- to 11-month olds are one of my favorite age groups to
photograph. They are very social, very happy and not yet mobile.”
AN EXCEPTION TO EVERY RULE
Stacy notes emphatically that everything about her behavior and
that of her tiny subjects is subject to exception. “How children be-
have and how I manipulate their behavior has been negated by at
least one child in every area of discussion. Once I feel confident
that I understand exactly what to do with a certain age of develop-
ment, a child walks in the door who breaks all the rules.”