This last photograph is one of my favorite family portraits of the year.  Emily told me she wanted a portrait that she could display in her home above the large sofa in her living room, but like a lot of parents, wasn’t sure about the idea of having an enormous portrait of just the three of them which could possibly be almost “life-size.”  Needless to say this photograph was the preferred choice for a larger wall portrait, the only question now is what’s the final portrait size going to be?  Stay tuned,  but let’s just say that the number “40″ was thrown around quite a bit

The “7 Ages Of Childhood”

Every year new clients tell me that they regret not beginning their child’s and family portrait documentation at the very beginning of their child’s journey through life. It’s not that they don’t value or see the importance of creating these timeless photographs. Being a new parent, or welcoming a new child into your family makes a busy life even busier. It’s very easy for the years to slip by. I know this first hand because like most parents, I simply do not have as many fine portraits of our younger son Conner, while we have a very adequate collection of portraits of our 3 year old son Jack. I always thought as a photographer that staying up to date with my children’s lives would not be a problem. However life gets in the way, and keeping up with running a business and raising two small children presented the ever present challenge of procrastination. That’s why I wanted to created this guide which outlines and helps parents recognize the 7 most important times to photograph your children, from infancy to young adulthood.

Today They’re Babies, Tomorrow They’re Children….

Have you ever said to yourself “they grow up so fast”? Fact is, they do grow up fast. The changes that occur rapidly and in the blink of an eye during the first year and early childhood years, typically continuing up until about age 3. The best advice I can give to any new or expecting parent is that it is never too early to schedule your baby’s first photography session. One of the most popular options is a “First Year” portrait collection that includes multiple photography session in order to capture the major developmental milestones of the first year, from birth…..to sitting up and/or crawling….and finally to walking.

Options for Contemporary Fine Art Children’s Portraits

Clothing, location, and styling can go a long way towards achieving the desired aesthetic for your children’s portraits. The different stages of your child’s life and development will be the starting point for the variety of options available to style any particular session. However regardless of the age of your children or the style you’re looking for, simple garments and clean backgrounds tend to photograph best, placing the emphasis on your child’s face and expression.

Infants and Toddlers……(the first 3 ages….1st year, age 2, age 3,)

Newborns and toddlers photograph best in simple clothes and outfits that will not overpower their delicate features. After all, these are the features that change the quickest during the first year, and we want to preserve them. Whites and pastels are classic choices, and convert well to black & white images. Brighter primary colors and casual clothing can work well for older babies. And finally, this is the one time in life to lose the clothes alltogether!

Children…….(the 4th and 5th ages……ages 4-5, and ages 6-8)

Again simplicity is the name of the game in order to show off bright smiles and inquisitive eyes. But don’t forget to include props and clothing that expresses your child’s ever developing personality and interests.

Pre-Teens and Teens…..(the 6th and 7th ages…..ages 9-12, and ages 13-17)

Continue to expand the options that reflect moods, activities and recent accomplishments with interesting locations and props.

Show How Much You Really Care

Psychologists who specialize in early childhood development believe that children who consistently see their own image displayed in a positive and uplifting form throughout the home eventually develop strong feelings of self-esteem and self-confidence. Portraits on display serve to make a child feel loved and valued, and when Mom and Dad (and even the grandparents) appear in the portraits, the child is reminded of the place he or she enjoys within the family. Is there a better way to demonstrate how you feel about your child than to decorate your home with portraits made at important milestones in his or her life? Portraits your children will eventually pass down to your grandchildren?

While it can be tempting to think you need to photograph your children every year of their life, often it is not convenient nor cost effective to invest in fine portraiture every year. However with careful planning, utilizing the 7 primary age groups mentioned above, you and your photographer can create a complete collection of your child’s development, leading up to their high school senior portraits prior to graduation.

]]> http://jaysphotoblog.com/2010/06/before-and-after-wednesdays-2/feed/ 0 http://jaysphotoblog.com/2010/06/little-jack-turns-3/ http://jaysphotoblog.com/2010/06/little-jack-turns-3/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:00:21 +0000 admin http://jaysphotoblog.com/?p=2317 Like the Jack Johnson song says, “3…it’s a magic number….”  This was Little Jack’s 3rd birthday, and his favorite movie (for now) is the Toy Story franchise.  And since we are only a few weeks away from the release of Toy Story 3, it was only appropriate that we had a Toy Story themed birthday party this year.

We bought Jack a Toy Story bicycle….and of course he had to have a Toy Story matching helmet……

The Toy Story themed bouncer was the perfect rented baby-sitter for the kids……

And to close off the evening, the kids enjoyed a screening of the original “Toy Story” movie at the “DriveWay Drive-In” movie theatre, complete with juice-boxes, popcorn, lots of bug spray, and almost all of Jack’s new Toy Story toys he received as gifts!

It’s not uncommon for me to work a full day on a weekend, even on a Sunday. This weekend however I was “lucky” enough to have my Sunday afternoon appointment cancel on me, which game me the chance to take Little Jack to the park.  The funny thing is, I think this kid knows how to go down a slide every possible way, EXCEPT the correct way, sitting down, feet first.

What is Flashes of Hope?

Flashes of Hope is an organization dedicated to creating powerful, uplifting portraits of children fighting cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.  Every month volunteer photographers and makeup artists come together at University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital to photograph children and families who are undergoing a variety of treatments.

I had the opportunity to photograph several children and their families at Comer, and have seen first hand the benefit that these sessions can provide to families.  One child was in the process of waiting for a bone marrow transplant, and in order to limit the risk of exposing her weakened immune system to infection we had to create her portraits in her room while she was still in bed.  Everyone and everything (including my camera) had to be wrapped and covered with a gown, cap, mask, and gloves.  I couldn’t help but think these limitations would take away from the experience for this young girl, and that she might not be as “into it” as some of the other kids were.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Despite these limitations and the limited time we were allowed in her room, her face lit up as soon as we walked in and she couldn’t have had more fun having her portraits made.

One of the oldest cliches in the book is “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  And while that could easily apply to the children photographed at these sessions, the imact these portraits have on families is so much greater. For children and families who are often in the middle of treatments, the sessions are an opportunity to relax and feel good about themselves in the midst of what can be a very stressful time in their lives.

How You Can Help

Flashes of Hope currently serves the children and families at Comer, and would like to expand its efforts to other hospitals in the Chicagoland area.  The cost to photograph one child is $25, which covers the cost to produce the package of portraits each family receives from their session.  $25 is what the average family spends on a casual/fast-food dinner.  Isn’t helping a family with a child in the hospital worth more than a dinner at Panera or Chipotle?  (Nothing against those places, I LOVE the Frontega Chicken sandwich at Panera, and don’t get me started on carnitas or spicy chicken burritos stuffed with hot sauce, black beans and sour cream…….)

I haven’t finalised the details yet, however in the next few weeks I’ll be announcing a special portrait offer that will benefit the local Flashes of Hope chapter in Chicago.  There will be a special portrait offer for everyone that participates as well

If you’d like more information about Flashes of Hope, please visit their website at www.flashesofhope.org. as well  the video below which profiled FOH for the CBS Early Show back in 2006.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Up until now the only bowling that Jack has tried is on the Wii, and that’s the 100 pin bowling on the Wii “Sports Resort.” 

 I love Pinstripes as a place to hang out for adult food, drink, and entertainment, but the fact that they open the doors for a family program like this every day of the week scores major points in my book!

The setup was still in place from the Twin’s portraits, so we just plugged Jack & Conner into the same spot, crossed our fingers and hoped that the little dude would cooperate.

…..Not bad considering his attention level lasted long enough to make about 15 frames…….

….Conner was a bit more cooperative…..but then again he’s not exactly very mobile…….