How to successfully photograph the two-year old
by Robert Provencher
“A three-year-old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a
fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green
worm.”
fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green
worm.”
~Bill Vaughan~
The “Two Year Old” Zen Master
Again, last week, a client was in the studio with her husband and their first new born baby. Her mother tagged along too. We were having a blast, chatting away….bonding and all that stuff.
Here’s one image from that shoot.
She asked me a question I often hear from folks who find my profession intriguing, and are curious about it……“What age is the toughest to shoot?” she asked.
Many believe the newborn age is toughest of all. “Not so” I reply. Newborns are fairly easy and straightforward. So is every stage of the baby’s first year.
The newborn baby requires certain things to happen in order to get through the session as quickly as possible without compromising creativity. Patience, towels, wipes, hand sanitizer, warm room, quiet, and a steady hand.
I use a big radiant heater and heat the place up. I have everything in place and soft, bird like sounds in the background. The first thing I do is prep the parents. Especially first time parents. I ask them to relax.
And if baby has an ‘accident’, not to worry. “Don’t take it personal” I tell them. Accidents happens about 95% of the time with newborns. I’ve seen it all. I remind them to relax. I truly feel that babies, even newborns, can sense the level of tension around them. There is a true psychic bond between them and their mothers.
I told her the toughest age of age was 18 months to two years old. It’s an age where I cannot truly ‘negotiate’ with the child. They are like balls of raw emotion, charged with wild energy.
Can’t fight that. I have a rule in our studio: “Never argue with a two year old.”
I explained to her how I have managed to capture so many poses of two year olds’, and how I even on several occasions have done a live model shoot at a photographic workshop, in front of about 75 photogs both times, capturing images of two year olds, using the exact same tactics I use in the studio. And they work, almost always.
When parents come in with their two year old, I explained to her, I have a chat with them and ignore the child. Almost all parents, and grandparents, are the same and are afflicted with the same controlling behavior.
They become vigilant about the childs behavior. I tell them they need to tune the child out. To ignore them. Talk with me, look at me. You see, parents want their kid to ‘behave’ a certain way. The fact is, this desire backfires. Children seem to know, even on a psychic level that mom’ not acting right. This can make them nervous. And they could get spooked. The child is taking the strange scenario and stranger in. They are making an assessment, often through the parents’ cue, whether it’s a ‘safe’ place and if I am a safe man.
Not someone who’s gonna poke a needle into them.
So, ignore them. 99% of the success of working with the two year old is simply by ignoring them. And getting the other adults under control, doing the same.
Now, at some point, I need to bond with the child. I have to stress something here. Bonding with a two year old is not the same as bonding with a fully conscious, aware, older child or adult. There are no rules. You have be willing to get down to there level, play, be goofy, be patient, forget the rules and keep the momentum going.
All the while making sure the light is right, the props, the poses and expressions and making sure your timing is bang on to capture the right moment. Phew! And, maintaining your cool. Remember, patience!
And, maintaining the adults behavior with subtle reminders, because they will slip back into trying to control the situation.
Children know when their moms are not acting ‘normal’. They sense something is up. They may fear a doctors visit and a needle. Dogs are the same way. Dogs are very tuned into their masters every mood and emotion. Relax the owner, relax the dog. Otherwise, they fear their got duped and actually at the vets for one of those needles! Ouch…..!!
Here’s two dogs from last Friday. I use the same tactics with dogs as I do with two year olds,,,,,,,
A chair is a useful prop. Kids want to sit in them, until you ask them to. I place one where I want the child to go, and let them go to it on their own.
Kids love to be with their families and siblings. Often, without any prompting, they will simply jump in the shot and mimic what everyone else is doing….
That’s exactly what happened here:
The little guy saw dad without his top, so he whipped his off and jumped into the scene.
Sometimes I gotta chase the two year old around. That’s ok. With persistence you’ll get something. This little girl was on a mission. She kept me on my toes, and made me earn my keep. Look at that intensity in her eyes….
Above shot with a 70-200 at 2.8
Occasionally, but not often, a two year old will be pure magic. Like this one:
She did everything and then some that we wanted and needed her to do. I believe the parents, who are ultra calm and cool, relaxed, play a large role in the childs state:
But mostly, the two year old is moody, emotional and unpredictable. But only if we have our own expectations imposed onto them. When people tell me I ‘have so much patience’.. I reply with, ‘not really, I have realistic expectations’.
Finally, the most powerful tool you can use is a ball.
Yes, a ball. But only pull it out when ready. What I do is start bouncing it, and play catch with dad or mom.
I’ll have dad near the area where I want the child to be. Then, when the child looks at my all wild eyed, eager to play, grunting and yelling they want the ball, I say, “ok, sit down and I’ll throw it to you…one, two, three…” I repeat that over and over and over and over until they get it.
Most two year olds know how to count to five or ten by now, so I’m speaking their language and creating anticipation. They usually sit, and make the connection that sitting equals playing ball. When they make that connection, all I need to do is remind them: “ok go sit down and I’ll throw the ball.”
They turn, look at the chair, go to it and sit and wait for the ball. It’s like magic. You see, I’m talking their language. Like a goofy, fun loving uncle. You cannot, nor can the parents, control this bonding. It happens at the childs pace, not yours!
Finally, one more tool to use with two year olds. Stickers! Yes, stickers. They love these. Use them as lures and get creative. In this pose I placed a sticker on moms belly:
Like anything else, becoming a zen master of the two year old only takes time, practice and realistic expectations.
yours in photography,
Robert Provencher
