CO – For those of us that know little about this kind of photography, please tell us a bit about it, in terms of challenges, space (in the studio, outdoors), equipment, patience…
NG – Working with kids is, mainly, about patience and tact. Generally speaking, a 3-4 years kid gives you a maximum of 15 minutes… And then you’ve lost him… With older children, I’d say it is slightly easier, but not much easier.
For a grown up, the habituation time with the photographer, with the classic methods, is 30 minutes up (here speaking about a person with no posing experience). So, you do realise that in the 15 minutes that a child gives you, there is no time to see what that kid can offer you, photographically speaking. And that is at least one reason why photographing children in an individual shooting session, is always a challenge.
When you photograph children, it is very important the way they see you. If you know how to become interesting to them, then you become an attraction and you get all the attention and involvement you need. Besides the patience I mentioned before, you also need experience in working with kids, so that you can direct their attention to your lead. Also, the parent’s presence is very important, to create the feeling of safety over the place and moment. And when I feel I have to stop, I stop. A child can not and must not be forced to do something against his/her will. Because when you try to push things, then you’re out and you risk to ruin everything…
As for the working space, it is said that a familiar space is most recommended. Personally, I like to take the child out of his/her regular environment, to get from him what I think it is so great about them. That neverending curiosity that can be mirrored in everything they do in that particular moment. Also, once a child is out of his/her regular environment, it is also out of the rules of that confine. And once shaken of all of this, he/she is free to express, to let go.
In terms of equipment, it is also a huge difference between the approach for an adult and the approach for a child. You can move an adult around the lights, the way you see fit. With kids, most of the times, it is you (as a photographer) that you move around him/her. I once had a child asking for his/her pillow and blanket, to go to sleep, after some one a half hours of working in the studio. Well, how could I have said in which part of the studio should the child sit down and sleep? So I followed the kid and set my light around the chosen place. And the result turned out most natural and beautiful…
CO – How and when did you decide you wanted to photograph children?
NG – The first children I photographed were my own. Actually, the first published photo (in Photomagazine, August 2008 edition) was one with my eldest child. And this is roughly the time that I realised I love working with children. It is also then that I realised that what one can achieve photographically is unique, spectaculat and most sincere and clean! And I also knew, as I now know, that you can never get that from an adult in photography.
CO – Who’s actually running a photo session while working with children ? The photographer, the parents or the children?
NG – Definitely, the photo session is led by the photographer. It is true, I do it in a subtle way, leaving the impression that what happens there is controlled by the child, to make him/her feel comfortable.
Children are not aware of their traits and charactristics, charm or the details that define and make us love them so much. They are way too fresh to alter their behavior, to get an attitude or a position that places them in a social pattern…much like adults or teenagers. Children are…themselves…open, without any curtains or masks, simply put, they are clean.
On the other hand, the parents are subjective. A parent tends to always enhance certain features that he/she loves, as a parent. Features that can be photographically irrelevant, or very exagerated.
CO – What is it that you really need in order to photograph children?
NG – You have to love children! Patience also comes high! And, first of all, I believe it is that photographer’s personal characteristic that makes him/her see inside a child. I am certain that any photographer can take pictures of a child. Yet not any photographer can do it. Further more, I might even say that there are only a few that really know how to do this. After all, it’s all in the inner build of the “human photographer”.
CO – In terms of percentage, how long does it take to prepare a photo session and how long for the shooting itself?
NG – It is true that you can’t start a photo session without any prior desired results. Yet any destination is shrouded with uncertainty, because the entire photo session will go according to what the child is willing to do and offer. As I were saing, teenagers and adults unwillingly approach attitudes and behaviors that are copied or learned from their environment, from the society they live in, from movies, etc. Kids aren’t like that. And that’s the beauty of it. The rules are set right there, on the spot.
A photo session can last for an hour or three. The next questions could be – “and how many breaks do you take within this period of time? The idea is that, when working with children, the session ends when they want
CO – Do the parents or relatives come with certain expectations towards the photographer and the final images? Or they give you the freedom you need?
NG – No matter what the parents’ demands are, I have my freedom as a photographer. Children photography, as I approach it, is an artistic one. And artistic photography can not be built according to patterns or clear demands. In a situation like this, I couldn’t be talking about this photography type in the way that I like to see it. Especially when you choose a photographer for the results that he/she has, for the style and simply because you like what you see in those photos. And then you clearly know what to expect.
It would be absurd to deny a collaboration between the photographer and parents, starting with the outfits they wish and certain posings that they would like for their kids. This kind of collaboration must exist. The parent knows the child best and they are the ones that can best answer the photograper’s questions when setting the session schedule.
CO – While working with children, there’s certainly no lack of fun. What kind of questions do you get during sessions?
NG – The studio itself becomes a playground. I, as a photographer, become a playing partner for the child. The session runs with all kinds of tales and dialogues.
Questions?! All kinds of. From the neverending “why”… “but why”, to get to where we left from and ending with the same “but why”, to the detailed questions, where clear subjects are being followed, with questions going into the imaginarium and exagerations that please them. Most of the times yet, I ask the questions and let them tell the story. This helps them bring a part of their imaginary world into my studio…
CO – What do you use as a guidance during a photo session with kids? Are you searching for the emotion, the moment, the childs’ state, the message?
NG – Yes, pretty much all this, and many more. Every child is different, by what he/she does, and the way they do it. By what they experience when they do that and the way they express these feelings. In other words, in front of you unfoldes an entire universe that you must discover…and it’s only up to you and your skills how far you get and what you discover. It is fascinating!
CO – What are the elements of a great photograph portraying a child?
NG – I can’t put my finger on one element, or two or three. It is a complex of factors that make a great portrait. Kids are a neverending story. They have stories and are part of their stories. If you can catch even a small part of their world so that, through what you accomplished, their stories are read further on, then you’re on the right track.
CO – Any future projects in child photography? Or photography in general…
NG – Yes, I intend to have many photo sessions with children, in the style and approach I did so far, and in a further future, if my work will be at the standard I desire, to present them in a public exhibition.
Alin Petrus – photographer
Sebastian Vaida (Camera Obscura)
great pictures ! thanks !
Superbe fotografii,felicitari Alin
frumoase fotografii,felicitari