On Tuesday I took GD2 into playgroup to have her photo taken. It wasn't her usual day, so she was just having her photo taken and then we were going home.
Her mummy said she could choose what to wear and she picked her beloved StickMan t-shirt and jeans which is GD2 to a T. She's definitely not a girly 'princess' girl. Mummy did her hair in cute bunches - again very 'her'. It was hot, so I took shorts and a thinner t-shirt to change into after.
As many of you know I was a social photographer for many years and have photographed lots of little ones and thoroughly enjoyed doing it.
So I was interested from a professional point of view, as well as bieng a proud Grandma!
I was disappointed that the lighting set-up was very basic and 'flat', but the photographer was a nice young man, struggling with a little girl and her younger twin siblings. I've been there - it's no use trying to pose them - you just have to interact until you get a 'good' shot, but of course, there's a queue of other children waiting so you have to also work quickly. I so wanted to help him!!
Then the next two - a brother and sister - were quite amenable, but one had shoes and socks on and one just socks - one pulled up the other turned over. I found myself silently pleading - please take their shoes and socks off - they will look so much more relaxed and natural, and won't ruin your backdrop.
The next little boy was terrified and wasn't going to leave his mummy for anything - certainly not to venture onto that scary backdrop and have lights flashing all over the place! I whispered to mummy to go and sit with him, ask the photographer to take them both together then move just an inch or two away so he could get the little boy on his own, but he would still think mummy was in the photo.
Then it was GD2's turn. She jumped onto the backdrop, full of confidence and looked expectantly at the young man. He stood her right against the upright of the backdrop and asked if she could do a star jump. I expected the whole thing to come tumbling down!! Fortunately she jumped slightly forward. He got her to do several poses, asking her to smile each time. So, of course, she did that awful 'say cheese' fixed smile. If only he'd taken a second to really look at her, he would have seen she was a 'character' and played to her quirkiness. There were no other little girls in Stick Man t-shirts!!!
So when I spoke to GD2's daddy the conversation was "how did it go?" "Two balanced lights on the children, wireless flash, nothing on the backdrop, dirty marks from shoes, shadows behind the children ..... etc!" We discussed all the technicals, and as an afterthought, I added - "Oh GD2 was great - straight on there, did exactly what the photographer asked her ..."
It was only later that I thought perhaps I should have concentrated more on how brilliant GD2 was, instead of the technicals!!!
Her mummy said she could choose what to wear and she picked her beloved StickMan t-shirt and jeans which is GD2 to a T. She's definitely not a girly 'princess' girl. Mummy did her hair in cute bunches - again very 'her'. It was hot, so I took shorts and a thinner t-shirt to change into after.
As many of you know I was a social photographer for many years and have photographed lots of little ones and thoroughly enjoyed doing it.
So I was interested from a professional point of view, as well as bieng a proud Grandma!
I was disappointed that the lighting set-up was very basic and 'flat', but the photographer was a nice young man, struggling with a little girl and her younger twin siblings. I've been there - it's no use trying to pose them - you just have to interact until you get a 'good' shot, but of course, there's a queue of other children waiting so you have to also work quickly. I so wanted to help him!!
Then the next two - a brother and sister - were quite amenable, but one had shoes and socks on and one just socks - one pulled up the other turned over. I found myself silently pleading - please take their shoes and socks off - they will look so much more relaxed and natural, and won't ruin your backdrop.
The next little boy was terrified and wasn't going to leave his mummy for anything - certainly not to venture onto that scary backdrop and have lights flashing all over the place! I whispered to mummy to go and sit with him, ask the photographer to take them both together then move just an inch or two away so he could get the little boy on his own, but he would still think mummy was in the photo.
Then it was GD2's turn. She jumped onto the backdrop, full of confidence and looked expectantly at the young man. He stood her right against the upright of the backdrop and asked if she could do a star jump. I expected the whole thing to come tumbling down!! Fortunately she jumped slightly forward. He got her to do several poses, asking her to smile each time. So, of course, she did that awful 'say cheese' fixed smile. If only he'd taken a second to really look at her, he would have seen she was a 'character' and played to her quirkiness. There were no other little girls in Stick Man t-shirts!!!
So when I spoke to GD2's daddy the conversation was "how did it go?" "Two balanced lights on the children, wireless flash, nothing on the backdrop, dirty marks from shoes, shadows behind the children ..... etc!" We discussed all the technicals, and as an afterthought, I added - "Oh GD2 was great - straight on there, did exactly what the photographer asked her ..."
It was only later that I thought perhaps I should have concentrated more on how brilliant GD2 was, instead of the technicals!!!
well that's my latest excuse !!
Comment