Mona Lisa Smile from 2 yr old

[Mike McCarty]

I once showed up for an out of town photo shoot for a commission portrait of a grandmother and her two year old granddaughter. I had never been to the site.

When we finally got started I realized that the two year old would not "touch" her grandmother! All she wanted to do was cling to the baby sitter. After a few minutes of this nonsense I suggested that the baby sitter go downtown for a latte. This was essential to even getting started.

You have bitten off a mouth full. You must summon your most General (as in military) like demenor and be prepaired for anything.

I have found that your only hope is to have your game plan worked out very well in your mind. Which means, as Chris says, having a good handle on the landscape. If you do your homework well you will find that your best photos will come in the first five minutes of the shoot.

I would suggest that you have equipment and scene set up before the subjects ever get into the room.

If there is anything that is working in your favor (and it's a stretch to find something), it's that, in my opinion, there isn't much expectation to have all the kids in some kind of perfect pose. In fact, one crawling out of the scene is not that bad. Maybe one tugging the hair of the other. What I'm getting at is - worry more about their relative position in the composition, and not so much about micro managing their every movement. The cat herding analogy keeps coming to mind.

Get there as quick as you can and stay as long as you can before the pablum hits the fan.

[Patricia Joyce]

Thank you for all your advice, Chris, Stanka, and Mike. You have given me allot of information to think through before my appointment with Grandma and Grandpa on Monday afternoon. I found that they live in a "cluster home" with no yard, so it will be indoor, which is better for me. When I meet with them we will go room to room to see what I can use, what windows may benefit, etc.

I'm in the process of writing out a list for client's to use when preparing for a photo shoot. Chris your idea about shirts in several values is a great idea I would not have thought of. I have already requested the client to have available for me, pics of the children so I can get some idea of their coloring.

Aspirin...yes

Prayer...lots of it!!!!!

[Michele Rushworth]

How old are the kids, exactly?

Plan EVERYTHNG out well in advance, not the day of the sitting. Scope out the location and know what the lighting will be at the time of day you plan to have them pose. For example, if the morning sun will be streaming in a particular window, you need to know that and avoid that spot.

Plan where you want furniture to be. Move things around to suit your goals. (I rearrange clients' furniture all the time.) A couch is a great idea, since they will be comfortable and you can vary their head heights.

Bring a portable DVD player to help the younger ones sit in one place. Position it on a table just behind you as you shoot, if you need to

Have the clothing and exact position of each kid worked out in your mind before you come for the sitting.

Settle on ONE location before hand. Don't let the client talk you into "taking some photos in this room, and some other photos in that room, just to see..." You will have a huge challenge with the ages of these kids as it is.

I find, with a kid about age 5 or younger, I have about twenty minutes of their attention and that's about it. No time for experimenting or trying different things. You need to know exactly what you want to do as soon as you ask them to pose.

Feel free to resort to bribery. Talk to the parents beforehand about the fact that you'd like to bring a small toy for each of them. Show it to them beforehand and let them know that it will be theirs after you're done ("if they're good".)

It would still be better if you can persuade the family to go with four separate portraits, though!

[Carol Norton]

Did I mention the husband is Chairman of the Board of the Diabetes Assoc in Cleveland - my biggest client to date! This came from a Diabetes Golf Tournament Fund Raiser. I was so suprised to hear that the Chairman of the Board bid for my work!
Patty[/QUOTE]

Patty, you will just do wonderfully!!! Your donations inspire me. I've had a very limited response on painting donations. Yours hit the bull's eye!

Carol

[Patricia Joyce]

Thanks for the advice Michelle, I am taking notes from all of you and I just revisited your website, you have such lovely paintings of young children. All I know right now is that there are four children under the age of eight!

Thanks, Carol. I find I really enjoy the auctions. I was pointed to a great organization called SMILE and will be donating a graphite portrait this month. It is for single moms in Cleveland who want to further their education. They raise money and offer scholarships. One of my friends is a psychologist and donates her time to group therapy for these women. I never have time to donate, so a portrait is the best I can do with my busy schedule. I have had two occasions when the person who won the bid never cashed in on their portrait. That is very frustrating!

[Linda Brandon]

What a great thread - Patty, I'm so glad you got this commission! I just have an additional couple of thoughts:
- If you end up doing a group portrait, you might consider having the children doing something together or having a focal point revolving around an object. Alex Tyng did this recently and I think she was very successful.
- Again, if you're doing a group shot, be very aware of body language in the children: which ones push each other away, which ones like to be held - any clues to relationship to one another will resonate in your composition.
- To me, there is a marked distinction between "formal" and "informal" family compositions - it is good to get clear understandings about this from the client before the shoot. Clothing sometimes (not always) helps determine the flavor of the composition.

I hope you post your results here!