I spend a lot of my year photographing pre-school children at their Childcare Centres, which is always an entertaining experience!
These little people can range in age from 5 months to 5 years and the personalities are always a mixture. SOme children love to be photographed and sit down and beam at me immediately. This is not always a good thing as sometime the smiles are so big that you can’t see their eyes!
Other children are much more cautious and need to be coaxed into looking at least a little bit relaxed. I usually try to get the child talking and not thinking about the camera too much. Subjects such as favourite toys or movies or animals usually work. With really little ones it might be a familiar toy or teacher that is needed to help out.
I often tickle the children on their toes or backs, this can create a lovely natural smile.
I always look for the shot that I think the parents will love.
Last week I received some great feedback from a Mum who had just collected her prints and I asked her to write it down for me:
“Hi Trudi
Further to my phone call, after receiving my photo’s this afternoon of my children Wyatt & Elkie, I just want to thank you so much for the beautiful shots. They are so natural and relaxed and you captured their clear & sparkly eyes. I can say that these are the best photos I’ve ever had taken of my children, so thank you again.
Regards
Jodie”
As a professional photographer our goal is to provide a product that makes our clients happy – and that applies just as much to school photography and pre-school photography as it does to any other job. Unfortunately that is not always the case with school photography companies.
I am always keen to help more families to be happy with the results of their child’s pre-school photos. If you know anyone who is looking for a great experience please pass my information on!