You don’t have to smile (but you can if you want to)
As parents we want to see our children happy and confident. While a smile can light up someone’s face - a wonderful expression of both those things - it will only hold up if the smile is truly genuine.
As kids it becomes instilled in us to smile when a camera appears; a coping mechanism for dealing with the awkwardness of being photographed, and one that we carry with us into adulthood.
As a photographer I find myself drawn to the quieter confidence that manifests when someone is asked to just be there. The strength of their character comes through with a far greater conviction and longevity.
Of course if the moment evokes a smile, subtle or beaming, then I’ll be sure to make the most of it.
I’ve had the luck to photograph these three sisters several times over the years. Our first shoot involved cartwheels and roller skates and the second was much more about capturing the young women they were becoming. Each with their own style and energy yet still strongly connected to one another; it was no less fun than the previous session, purely a different type of engagement. More of a two way thing than the observational approach I tend to use with younger children.
I don’t have a favourite age to photograph. All phases of childhood bring their own level of confidence and awareness, and each child is their own person so you can never predict how someone will engage with being photographed.
I find that photographing teenagers becomes an even more collaborative process, and one that I really enjoy. Their ever growing sense of self awareness brings a new dynamic to a shoot and I love discovering who they are and how they want to be seen. They may not be little anymore but they’re still growing and changing every day. There’s so much to capture.
