Although I have been a professional photographer for longer than I've been a parent, my oldest child, Milo still seems like my photographic "guinea pig." He was the newborn, infant, toddler, and now pre-schooler that I have tried all my equipment, props, poses, and techniques on before ever trying them out on a client. He's not aware of it, but I think that's a pretty honorable distinction, and I hope he'll let me keep on taking his picture for many years to come.
When Milo turned four years old this month, I realized it had been way too long since I gave him a proper portrait session. I've done a lot of sibling sessions and I've certainly done many shoots for my adorable little girl, but Milo has been left out of the fun recently, so I decided that needed to change. On the morning of his birthday, I dressed Milo up in some of his favorite clothes, told him to choose one stuffed friend, and hauled an antique chair out to the backyard. (Seriously, a photographer can never have too many antique chairs, am I right?)
I'm always learning new things with Milo. I guess that's the way oldest children are. So in the case of portrait sessions, I learned that four year old boys can be tough to keep in one place! The saving graces for this shoot were simple conversations (always good for a few funny expressions, or to keep him in the chair longer) and good old fashioned bargaining. He's old enough now that I can use some new tools in my "child photographer's toolbox," and that was a pretty cool discovery. This was also the first time Milo has been able to have real input on his own poses, which was really neat.
So without further ado, I'll show you some highlights from Milo's four-year session. I can't believe my little boy is growing up so fast!
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| My wonderful husband put up this tire swing JUST in time for Milo's birthday. Best prop ever? I think so! |
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| Talk about an idyllic childhood photo. Ahhh... |
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| Milo is so imaginative, who knows what he's conjuring up in this photo. The dandelions make the shot look almost magical, too. |
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This shirt is legitimately very old. I bought it for 25 cents at a rummage sale, and the date on it is 1981. Oh, and Milo chose Mister Bear as his friend for the portrait session. These two have been best buds for their whole lives. :)
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| This is Milo's "neutral" expression. Nothing fancy, not really paying much attention, just sitting there. Oh, and his funny little forehead dimple shows itself quite prominently in this shot. ;) |
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| This is what I get now when I ask him to smile... |
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| Milo is such a tender-hearted boy. He loves to hold our chickens any chance he gets! |
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| This might be my favorite photo from the entire session. The look on his face is so transparent and gentle (and quiet). He's my little chicken whisperer! |
Well, there you have it! Thanks for visiting the blog and checking out Milo's portraits. I hope you came away even more fond of this little guy than you were before!
~ Kathryn
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