As noted previously, I prefer to photograph young children with Dad because it provides more contrast. In the image on the facing page, look at the texture of Dad’s skin in comparison with his son. You can see the luminosity in the boy’s skin, which gives the viewer a point of contrast.
Try It, But Be Willing to Move On
In search of ideas that work, I may try things during a session that end up failing. As Dad leans forward, I will tell the son to put his arm around Dad’s neck. Sometimes he will squeeze too hard or it just does not look right, so I change the pose. I encourage photographers to be willing try things—but also to be just as willing to abandon that idea if it’s not working. If the child’s arm on Dad’s neck does not look right, don’t keep trying to fix it; move on to something else. There is a short window of attentiveness when working with small children and you don’t want to waste that on trying to force an idea to work.
Emotion Through Touch
Part of emotion comes through touch and finding ways to connect people. I have often joked that my favorite subject would be an octopus family because they have so many arms and they would be wrapped around each other, connecting and connecting and connecting some more.
Sometimes, the connection of touch is directed by me. That was the case in the facing-page portrait, where I have Dad’s cheek on his son’s face. Some photographers tell Dad to “snuggle up” to his son. That gets them close, but not close enough; they have to be touching. I often have to tell Dad to get in closer, because the act of actually touching makes the emotion more believable.
Additional images from the same session.
This all goes back to my theory of capture, adjust, and refine—but I always allow the emotion of the image to trump the template of the pose. I am reaching for perfection and the balance between emotion and posing, but I always lean toward the side of emotion. That is the heart of my relationship portraits.