Posed Vs. Child Led Portraits: Dallas Portrait Photography

When most of us hear “portrait photography”, our minds instantly conjure up pictures of awkward poses and forced smiles.  That’s because a heavily posed portrait is pretty uncomfortable.  It’s uncomfortable at the time you’re being posed and it’s uncomfortable to look at.  It just doesn’t look or feel like you.  Kids feel the same way, albeit they may not be able to express it as coherently!  Trying to pose a wiggly, giggly toddler is a test of true patience.  And why?  Because they don’t like it!  So what’s the alternative?  As a leader in Dallas portrait photography, I use a method called “child-led posing”.  This journal entry is dedicated to explaining the child-led posing method so you can see why it creates truly incredible portraits!

What is Child-Led Posing?

Let’s start with defining child-led posing.  Child led posing is allowing your little one to comfortably be himself.  That’s it!  Think back to some of your experiences when you’ve been photographed professionally.  Most likely, you came into the studio, the room was dark and the photographer immediately started instructing you to “sit there”, “put your hands here”, “tilt your head like this”.  Not terribly warm, inviting, welcoming or….comfortable.  With child-led posing, the experience is very different from the moment your child walks into the studio.  Lights are on, their favorite songs are playing.  We take a tour of the studio. We start playing and laughing while I snap some quick test shots.  And I show them the back of my camera so they can see what we’re doing!  All of this helps create a safe, warm and comfortable place so your child can relax and be himself.

Benefits of Child-Led Posing

Child-led posing is a process and a lot of thought and care goes into making it successful.  It’s certainly a lot easier and less time-consuming to use the classic approach of posing so why use child-led posing?  What are the benefits that outweigh the extra time required to use this method?  There are three key benefits, aside from knowing that your child is more comfortable and happy in this situation!!  The first is your portraits reflect your child’s genuine emotion and personality.  Secondly, it allows you to see your child and not the pose.  And thirdly, it creates a positive experience and memory for your child so your little one will look forward to sessions in the future!

Showcasing Genuine Emotion and Personality

When your child is comfortable and enjoying herself, she can be her TRUE self.  As a mom of two little boys, I absolutely fall in love with pictures of my kids that reflect their genuine spirit.  That twinkle in the eye, those mischievous dimples.  I love those details and truly cherish the photographs that perfectly capture them.  My specialty is creating images that showcase your child’s personality and in order to do that- your little one needs to feel comfortable.

Focus on Your Child, Not the Pose

Let’s admit it.  When you see a very posed photograph, the first thing you notice is….the awkward posing!  Look at my hands- what are they doing?  What is she looking at?  Could he look any more uncomfortable if he tried?  Instead of admiring the picture or enjoying the memories of that time, our eyes immediately hone in on the posing.  Now, the portrait is no longer something we cherish.  It’s a joke.  You want to see your child, see her personality, see her unique and precious trademark details.  Child-led posing creates portraits that reflect how you see your child so you can focus on her and not any awkward posing!

A Fun Experience

Vegetables.  Bed Time.  Cleaning up.  Just three of the many things my kids dread causing top level melt downs at the mere mention of their names.  When kids don’t enjoy an experience….say, eating broccoli, they remember that and do everything in their power to NOT have to do it again.  It doesn’t mean that you can’t still make them do it or drag them there kicking and screaming.  But if you’re like me, after awhile, you lose the fight and you focus on something else.  Child-led posing is fun and engaging for them and therefore, they’re excited to come again.

Dallas Portrait Photography

My goal is to create timeless portraits of your children, from birth through grade school, that showcases each stage of their early life.  These photographs are treasures that hold the precious details, their genuine personality and spirit and they’re meant to be cherished for years to come.  To create these incredible moments in time, I work hard to ensure your child feels comfortable and my child-led posing truly accomplishes this goal.  I would love to help you freeze time and safeguard these memories too!  If you would like learn more about my process or schedule a session for your children, let’s talk!  Fill out my contact form and I can’t wait to connect.  I’ve also included a couple of other resources around my process below and always feel free to explore my website to get a true feel for my style.

An Effortless And Stress-Free Portrait Experience from a Dallas Baby Photographer

White Studio Photography- What Makes it Special?

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

xoxo,

Kim