Oct 24 Bradlie

Even though she might not always enjoy it, Bradlie often helps me with my appointments. She acts sort of like my gopher - carrying my extra equipment, helping with reflectors or other such things, but why I really love having her with me is her undeniable people skills. For a teenager, she is great with putting everyone at ease in front of the camera. Her great sense of humor makes kids laugh and as a bonus for me, she has come up with some really great posing ideas on the fly!

October 24 she helped me yet again and sat still while I took some test shots getting all my settings ready for lighting and locations. Normally I delete the test shots, but I just had to play with these. Photos like these are why I prefer location sessions without backdrops and studio lighting. I feel like I can get a better sense of someone's personality and I hope that comes through in my work.

No fan I own could have blown her hair so perfectly off her face for me.

We played around with various poses so I could see what I liked and didn't like. It was a bit chilly and definitely windy, but I don't always mind the hair in the face looks.



It seems the serious face is incredibly favored in teens right now and Bradlie is no exception. I tend to like the serious look myself, but what Mom or Dad can resist and true, giggly smile from their child? I know Bradlie does not think much of these two photos, but they are very dear to her family.

I remade the above photo in color for my Grandma. It never fails that every time I create a black and white of the kids, she asks for the same photo in color. lol I had forgotten myself for a minute when I worked these shots, so I went back to get a color smiley for Grandma
.

When taking serious face shots for young people I always try to tell them to "soften" their eyes, smile with only their eyes, or some other version of looking serious without looking angry. It can be a difficult trick to master, but once someone gets the hang of it, it can completely change the whole look of their session. It may just be the Mom in me, but I've always thought Bradlie's expressive face is the perfect tool to show someone how to "smile with only their eyes". I'm pretty sure she feels like a performing monkey when I ask her to show someone what I mean, so I try to show them myself. She's still way better at it than I am. lol