Garden Portraits Newsletter, April 2006
It's Spring Portrait Time!
It's time to get outdoors to enjoy the sunshine and growing plants! In addition to garden photography, I specialize in outdoor childhood portraiture. There is nothing like introducing a child to nature and getting photographs of that child's discoveries. A child's natural joy over examining bugs, smelling flowers, climbing trees, and rolling down hills makes great pictures and memories. This article will tell you about some of my favorite photo sessions in order to give you some ideas about locations for photographing, dress, and ways to make children relax and smile.
When the weather first warmed this spring, I took my daughter to Benedictine Park in Bedford New Hampshire. We played hide-and-go seek behind the tall bushes. We picked the dried wildflowers left over from last season. We rolled down the tall hills and lied on our backs staring at the blue sky. I like to play while I take photographs. It makes the child with me comfortable and willing to cooperate more than she normally might for a formally posed shot.
One of my favorite location jobs last year took place in Greeley Park in Nashua New Hampshire. I photographed an extremely cute brother and sister who obviously adored each other. The children were dressed up, but that didn't stop us from climbing trees having fun. The little girl wore a beautiful hat that provided a focal point for many of my shots of her. The hat provided a frame for her gorgeous smile and long lashes. Greeley Park's remarkable tree gave us a place to interact with nature and to show kids just being kids. The marvelous drooping branches provide shade cover for play on a hot day. It was so natural to show these children hanging from these branches that call to the youthful side in all of us, reminiscent of one of my favorite books, "The Giving Tree".
Mac's Apples in Londonderry is another great location for photographing children interacting with nature. Children feeding ducks, finding branches on the ground in the green fields, and running among apple blossoms make for bright colorful images. Children don't necessarily need to be in formal dress for beautiful pictures. A pair of overalls among the farms hills is quite appropriate, beautiful, and memorable.
Children give us the best photo opportunities when they are relaxed. Places for new discovery are wonderful - The Butterfly Place in Westford Massachusetts, Pickity Place in Mason New Hampshire, and Charmingfare Farm in Candia New Hampshire are just some of my favorite locations for photographing children discovering new things. However, some children are most comfortable with what they know. With young children especially, it may be best to stick to your own backyard or the local park. This way, you don't need to be concerned with feeding and nap times. The wonderful thing about children is that what is old hat to us old folks is likely new to them in some way. One of my favorite tricks is to hand a young child a bouquet of flowers and let him go to town. Some of my very best images come from little kids picking flower petals or trying to eat them!
I never go into a session knowing how I will pose a child. An hour long session gives me time to learn about a child's behavior and to create a series of photographs that reflects that particular child's personality. Whether in play clothes or formalwear, at home or in a brand new location, we always get smiles and special memories when we just relax and enjoy the process.
