Children's Portrait Photography Handbook

so we can focus our minds on the overwhelming amount
of data we must process each day.
As a child develops, however, sensory processing takes
place at the highest level. Young children cannot and do
not see the need to hold back an expression of honest
feelings. Because their forms of communication are lim-
ited either by their inability to speak words, an inadequate
vocabulary, or because of their early physical develop-
ment, they react much more expressively with their bod-
ies and facial expressions. These expressions, according
to Stacy, are what define a child’s visual (and hence, pho-
tographic) personality. Knowing how to extract them
using sensory input is the key to getting great photos.

Journal the Experience.

In the short span of a portrait session, how can you pull
out the expressions that parents see on a daily basis? To
start, the photographer must be sensitive to children’s ex-
perience of the world, understanding that children must
feel safe and secure to really “act naturally” in front of
the camera.
Infants and toddlers tend to seek out activities that
provide sensory experiences that are beneficial to them
at that point in their development. They will, however,
avoid being placed in environments that make them feel
uncomfortable or unsafe. How quickly a child objects to
a certain photo set or how loudly he screams to be taken
off the set comes from his internal temperament and his
coping ability on that given day.
Keep in mind that, as adults, we get choices on what
sensory input we would like to receive and which envi-
ronmental conditions we wish to avoid—and in most
cases we accommodate our own needs. Children, on the
other hand, do not have the ability to choose their envi-
ronment, nor do they have cognitive skills to interpret
why they are uncomfortable in certain situations. That
means it’s up to you (and the child’s parent) to deter-
mine what constitutes a pleasant, interesting environment
for the child at that point in time. To better understand
this, you may find it helpful to study and journal your ex-
periences after each photo session. This practice allows
you to collect data on what works and what doesn’t.

Another Perspective.

Stacy Bratton’s friend and assistant, Maureen Mann, has
been in the photography business for over twenty years,

and her children’s-portrait philosophy was that you get

what you get based on the child’s mood that day—and

you better get it quick! This perception changed dramat-

ically when she began assisting for Stacy. Maureen says,

“Stacy is known for the incredible variety of expressions

she coaxes from children. I imagined her sessions were

similar to others I had been a part of—quick and fun but

frantic and with a lot of luck involved. I was wrong. She

uses her knowledge of child psychology to control the

situation and elicit the expressions she desires.”

According to Maureen, “Sometimes it is hard to

watch. The first thing I discovered is that the child is not

allowed off the set unless Stacy allows it—no matter how

sad the cry, emphatic the scream, or worried the parent.

She allows the parent to go on to the set and comfort the

child if needed, but the parents may not remove the

child, nor pick them up.

Maureen continues, “By using toys and distracting

play methods with bubbles or feathers, Stacy changes the

behavior being exhibited, and retains control of the

STACY BRATTON’S INSIGHTS 71

In this priceless portrait by Stacy Bratton, the photographer had

the child look back toward the open sky to produce beautiful and

soft lighting. Notice, too, the very shallow band of focus created

by shooting at the lens’s widest aperture.