plement one another. When photographing children out-
doors, it is important to dress them in clothing that is ap-
propriate to the setting and the season. For example, if
the photo is going to be made in an elegant wood dining
room, don’t arrange for the child to wear shorts and
sneakers. A child’s portrait is meant to be enjoyed for
generations to come. Fad-type clothing should be
avoided in favor of less trendy, more conservative dress.
Arrange for the parents to bring more than one out-
fit. At least one outfit should be all solid colors without
designs. If more than one child is being photographed—
a brother and sister, for instance—clothing should be in
complementary or matching colors. Gaudy designs and
T-shirts with writing (or worse, cartoon characters)
should be avoided. As Suzette Nesire notes to clients,
“Keep in mind the final images will be presented on your
walls in your home. No stars and stripes and as few logos
as possible.” Also, new clothes may not be comfortable
for the child, so you may want to start the session with
the child in casual, familiar clothes and work up to the
dressy outfit.
People don’t realize that the wrong selection of
clothes can ruin the photograph. That is why it is so im-
portant to discuss this prior to the session. Having to re-
shoot the portrait is costly and inefficient for both the
customer and the photographer. Below are several topics
that should be covered in the consultation.
Dark and Light Colors.Darker clothing helps to
blend the bodies with the background, so that the faces
are the most important part of the photograph. As a gen-
eral rule, dark colors slenderize the subject while light
colors seem to add weight to the bodies. While this point
is usually not a factor with children, with some over-
weight or skinny children it could be.
The color of the clothing should always be toned
down. Bright colors pull attention away from the face.
Prints and patterns are a distraction and, in the case of
digital portraits, small patterns (even small herringbone
or checkered patterns) can cause unattractive moiré pat-
terns to appear in the fabric.
Glasses.You see more and more children wearing eye-
glasses these days. For the child’s portrait, glasses may or
may not be worn, depending on the parent’s or the
child’s preference. Non-reflective lenses are helpful to the
photographer, who will be restricted as to the lighting
setup when eyeglasses are a part of the portrait. Some-
times it’s possible to obtain a matching set of frames with
no lenses. This is particularly helpful if the child’s glasses
distort the outline of his or her face.
Shoes.Shoes are often a problem on small children.
The soles are usually ugly and they can sometimes dom-
inate a portrait. Most frugal parents purchase shoes in the
hope that they will “still fit in a month,” so they are often
a little loose and look large. Some photographers, if the
scene and clothing warrant it, will have the child remove
his or her shoes—after all, children’s feet can be cute.
Hats.The child will often feel right at home in his or
her favorite hat or cap. When working outdoors in open
shade, hats provide some overhead blocking of the dif-
fused light—like little overhead gobos—and minimize
the overhead light on the child’s face. In the studio, you
must be careful to get light under the brim of the hat to
illuminate the eyes.86 CHILDREN’S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY HANDBOOK
ABOVE—Consultations prior to the portrait session are essential so
that parents will not be disappointed and so that the photographer
can coordinate backdrops, props, and lighting. Here, Jeff Hawkins
used a pink chiffon background that matches this little angel’s for-
mal dress and hat. Even her hairstyle matches the wardrobe and
setting.
FACING PAGE—Brian Shindle is a master of coordinating clothing to
create a formal shoot. Every detail of this girl’s clothing
is carefully orchestrated and coordinated, right down to how the
knots are tied in her ballet shoes. Brian does not go for the big
smile in his portraits, favoring instead the subtle expressions that
reveal character, in the style of the expatriate American portrait
artist John Singer Sargent.