Kids, Capes and Cameras

It’s been said that photographers should avoid children and animals, but I really like working with kids. They are great fun to photograph, because once you gain their trust they open up to you and are entirely at ease in front of the camera.  I recently started a new series with children, sparked by a shoot I did with my significant other’s grandkids, boys age 3 and 5. It started as a conventional portrait session, but suddenly veered into something else when the 5 year old wanted to wear his new red cape, that has a big white star on it.  Now, I’ve photographed a lots of kids modeling clothing, for advertising and clothing catalogs,  but this time was very different.  What I saw through the viewfinder wasn’t a shy, quiet 5 year old boy, but a SUPERHERO ready to save the world, and that came across powerfully in the pictures.  I started photographing other kids dressed in costumes and acting out their fantasies, and their transformation to superhero, ballerina, sports star, or cartoon character has yielded strikingly different and powerful images. As a result, I’ve added Kids’ Fantasy Photo Adventures to my portrait business.  I hope you’ll visit my site and check out the Fantasy Photo Adventures gallery and let me know what you think.