When I first got into photography, taking pictures of children was probably at the bottom of my list.  It was hard for me to relate to them.  I didn't have any kids of my own when I first started taking pictures, so when I would have someone inquire about taking pictures of their offspring, I would get really nervous.  In the back of my mind, all I could think about was props.  I had to have a certain chair or color of blanket.  I didn't have the money to go and buy whatever I wanted when I was starting out, so I used what I had.  I'd rummage through my parents house to find something and anything similar to what I was looking for.  I would bring those "props" to the sessions and I just expected kids to sit and smile for the camera.  Of course, it went as you can expect.  They'd cry.  They wouldn't sit.  They'd run around.  They'd hide their face.  Sometimes, on the rare occasion I would get to take pictures of kids that were a little older, I could breathe a sigh of relief.  Those sessions were easy for me.  The sessions with the kids under 3 years of age however, ended up being the sessions I dreaded.  I'd always wear a smile during those sessions, but I would give up pretty quickly if things were not going well.  Like I would completely end the session knowing I didn't get any good pictures, and suggest doing them a different day type of giving up.  I look back on those days and cringe. 

So what has changed?  Why do I love taking pictures of children now?  Especially kids that don't cooperate?!?

In April of 2012, I had my son, Liam.  Liam was a wonderful baby.  He'd take long naps, was always smiling and my husband and I could tell from early on that he was pretty smart.  He didn't really talk much until he turn about 3.5 years old, but he knew his ABCs and knew each letter's sound before he turned 2 and knew all his colors and shapes and could count to 20.  Liam will be 8 years old in about a week, and we can still say that he is very smart.  However, when he was about 18 months old, we started noticing some changes in his behavior.  He would throw tantrums over everything.  He was always on the move and would run away (He was definitely one of those kids on a leash or stuck in a stroller!).  He wouldn't listen, and would purposely do what you would ask him not to do. 

When he was three years old, we enrolled him into a 3 days a week daycare through the YWCA.  Just about everyday that I would pick him up, I would get a bad report.  Wouldn't do what he was asked.  Wouldn't sit on the carpet and listen to stories.  Wouldn't share.  Wouldn't keep his hands to himself.  Would throw uncontrollable temper tantrums.  Was pretty impulsive.  Needless to say, He didn't last a whole month in the program before they asked me to not bring him back.  I was devastated.  I couldn't understand why he wouldn't behave.   A couple days after Liam had been asked to leave the program, his teacher reached out to me through email and suggested that I contact our school districts preschool and have him tested to see if he would qualify for the Intermediate Unit 5 (IU5). 

Special Education.  I couldn't believe that he was falling under a "Special Education" inquiry.  I thought, "But He's so smart!  He's not handicapped!".  Why was she suggesting I look into special education services?  Reluctantly, I decided to go ahead and schedule an appointment for him to be tested.  He was tested and just barely made it in.  The teachers in the IU5 could see he had some behavioral issues and that was the only reason he got in, otherwise he wouldn't have.  They worked with him twice a week to try and help him control his impulsive tendencies.  He had good and bad days, but overall, I was just happy he was able to socialize with kids his age and still be able to go to school.

The following fall, Liam entered K-4.  He would get bad reports here and there, but his teacher had previously been a Special Needs teacher earlier on in her career, so she knew how to get through to him before things would get too bad most days.  She always talked so highly of him.  Since the IU5 unit was in the same building where he went to school, his IU5 teacher would sit in the classroom and check on him and give me reports about every 2 weeks.  She saw improvement in his behavior but would definitely tell me if he needed to work on something.  And this continued into the beginning of K-5.  A couple months into K-5, I had a meeting with the school's councillors and they felt Liam no longer needed the IU5 program, so we took him out of it. "Yes! He's finally behaving himself!" I thought.  And he did behave himself for the most part until about the end of April that school year.  We started getting bad reports again.  But it was close to the end of the school year, so we just took it one day at a time.

Liam started 1st grade that following fall in a new school.  Things were horrible from the start.  He was constantly getting into trouble for impulsive behaviors, rolling around on the floor, not keeping his hands to himself, running in the halls, throwing food, using unkind words...you name it, he was getting into trouble for doing (or not doing) it.  He had to use the teachers special bathroom because he couldn't behave well enough to go potty with the rest of the kids in his class.  I felt like I was either getting a call or having to go into the school to talk with the principal/school counselor weekly.  During one of those principal/school counselor visits, I decided it was time to have Liam start seeing a behavioral therapist and have him tested for ADHD/Autism.

So October of that school year, Liam was tested.  They ruled out Autism, and I breathed better, but he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).  I'm sure most people know that ADHD is a disorder that limits attention and it causes hyperactivity.  ADHD is pretty common.  It's not curable, but it can be managed by medication.  ODD, on the other hand is not common, and can only be managed through therapy.  Basically, ODD is a mental health disorder that includes frequent and persistent anger, irritability, arguing, defiance or vindictiveness. (Sounds great right?!!)

We went a few months after the diagnosis with Liam being on no medication and only going to therapy twice a month.  He was still getting into trouble at school so we decided to get him medicated.  It honestly was the best thing we could have done for him.  Almost immediately he stopped getting bad reports from school, and started getting good ones!  Legit night and day!  Liam is in 2nd grade now and we keep him on his medication during the school year and take him off of it during the summer.  Right now it is what works for us.

So why did I tell you all of that?

Well, Liam is sole reason I like taking pictures of kids.  I have learned a LOT about how to interact with little humans just through him.  Liam is probably one of the most difficult kids to take pictures of.  He doesn't look directly at the camera, he used to not listen well at all and he just likes do his own thing.  Liam was very hard to take pictures of when he was going through all of what I posted above (he still can be, lol).  But I worked hard and taught myself how to get his best smiles, and his most serious faces and how to get him to look at me.  I'm sure most of my clients see pictures of kids I take posted on my Facebook page or website and think to themselves, doesn't she ever have a kid that doesn't cooperate?!  The answer is YES!  Definitely!  Almost every session! But you see, I implement all the tricks I used and perfected on Liam at every kids session.  Guys, I'm not kidding when I say my methods are unconventional.  I am totally weird with some kids.  Sometimes I make silly faces.  Sometimes I make silly noises.  Sometimes I scream to scare them! (I promise it makes 90% of the kids laugh). Or we'll both scream because it's fun!  Sometimes I dance.  But what's most crazy of all, is I have soooo much more patience because of Liam!  I never give up like I used to back in the day.  While I may not show that same patient mentality to my own kids when I take their pictures, it's always present with my client's kids.  I think it's because they are not my kids, so I think it's fun seeing how they react to me as opposed to how my own kids do, and I just compare and contrast like its a game.  Whatever the reason, many parents thank me for being so patient all the time with their kids.

And below are some photos of Liam.