Perkins - 500 poses for photographing infants and toddlers: a visual sourcebook for digital portrait photographers

The Stella B. Foundation www.stellabfoundation.org A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to The Stella B. Foundation. The foundation believes that no family should have to decide how to divide their time between work and a child with a long-term or life-threatening illness. By assisting with rent, utility bills, and travel arrangements for imperative medical appointments, they help ensure that finances do not impede the familys ability to be by their childs side. The Stella B.

Foundation is committed to helping make the parents decision to hold their childs hand an easy one. Copyright 2013 by Michelle Perkins. All rights reserved. Front cover photographs by Brett Florens. Back cover photograph by Christie Mumm. P.O. P.O.

Box 586 Buffalo, N.Y. 14226 Fax: 716-874-4508 www.AmherstMedia.com Publisher: Craig Alesse Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt Editorial Assistance from: Carey Anne Miller, Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder Business Manager: Adam Richards Marketing, Sales, and Promotion Manager: Kate Neaverth Warehouse and Fulfillment Manager: Roger Singo ISBN-13: 978-1-60895-603-6 Library of Congress Control Number: 2012920993 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher. Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions.

A s any experienced portrait photographer will tell you, working with children can be both challenging and rewarding. A s any experienced portrait photographer will tell you, working with children can be both challenging and rewarding.

When things arent going well, the shoot can come to a crashing haltbut when they come together well, the results can be amazing depictions that families will cherish for generations to come. In this book, well look at poses for the very youngest (and most frequently photographed) of child portrait subjects: newborns and toddlers. Obviously, poses that work with a sleepy newborn are quite different from those that suit an adventurous toddler, so why group these kids into one book? There are some good reasons. It can be difficult to remain creative day after day, year after year, but sometimes all you need to break through the slump is a little spark. First, much of early childhood photography involves documenting developmental milestonesthe newborn holding her head up, the childs ability to sit up unassisted, the toddler taking his first steps, etc. These are best understood when viewed in the context of what came before (what the younger child couldnt yet do) and what will come later (what only an older child can do).

A second common thread in these portraits is an emphasis on relationships. More than with any other age group, very young children are commonly depicted with their parents or siblings. These portraits offer special posing challenges and opportunities, so a section of the book is devoted to images with more than one subject. The childs relationship with their environment is a related theme, so children are often shown interacting with props. Props can assist with posing, but they also need to be managed carefully and never allowed to overwhelm the small subject. A finaland criticalcommon thread is the need for speed and efficiency.

Portrait sessions with infants and toddlers are generally not long, drawn-out affairs. While flexibility is important, walking into the session with a few great ideas ready to go can help make the session a success. Filled with images by accomplished portrait, fashion, and editorial photographers, this book provides a resource for photographers seeking inspiration. Stuck on what to do with a particular child? Flip through the sample portraits, pick something you like, then adapt it as needed to suit your tastes. Looking to spice up your work with some new poses? Find a sample that appeals to you and look for ways to implement it (or some element of it) with your subject. For ease of use, the portraits are grouped according to the age of the subject, and further delineated by the type of pose (seated, standing, with a parent, etc.).

It can be difficult to remain creative day after day, year after year, but sometimes all you need to break through a slump is a little spark. In this book, youll find a plethora of images designed to provide just that.

PLATE 1. Photograph by Christie Mumm. PLATE 2. Photograph by Christie Mumm. PLATE 3. Photograph by Marc Weisberg. PLATE 5. Photograph by Marc Weisberg. PLATE 6. Photograph by Jenean Mohr. PLATE 7. Photograph by Jenean Mohr. PLATE 8. Photograph by Jenean Mohr. PLATE 9. Photograph by Jenean Mohr. PLATE 10. Photograph by Jenean Mohr. PLATE 11. Photograph by Jenean Mohr. PLATE 12. Photograph by Heather Magliarditi. PLATE 13. Photograph by Heather Magliarditi. PLATE 14. Photograph by Krista Smith. Next page