The four faces of Bella

Child portraiture is fraught with difficulty since you are effectively dealing with not just one client but four: the child, the mother, the father and yourself and at some point, you have to decide who will be writing the cheque and focus on meeting that person's expectations. Or do you?


When Bella came to my studio she had clear expectations in mind - just as a hairdresser might be shown Nicole Kidman's latest look in a glossy magazine and told to replicate it, Bella showed me images on the web that she wanted for herself. Once upon a time I could have pretended to comply with her wish and then quietly ignored it but now that every eleven year girl has a digital camera and knows images can be instantly reviewed, I cheerfully complied. Bella's request wasn't ideal, it didn't suit her, but that didn't matter since until she felt I had met her expectations, there was no point worrying about anyone else: you cannot photograph uncooperative subjects and they will be uncooperative if they feel they cannot trust you.


Once Bella's expectations had been met, I wanted a more natural look to please her mum but how to achieve it?I decided to use a studio prop, a burgundy felt hat. Unless the portrait sitter is a raging extravert, they will take time to thaw and shrug off that hounded or coerced look. But you don't have a lot of time in a studio. Somehow, by giving the portrait sitter a studio prop they relax at lot faster. Perhaps this is because they feel they are no longer the subject. Who knows? I don't but the results speak for themselves.


By now the portrait session will be half finished and the subject will be comfortable enough to do away with the prop so it's time to experiment in order to photograph them at their best. Changing backgrounds and alternating between natural light and flash ensures that I as a photographer, am alert to every nuance of the subject's features as the lighting changes.



By the end of the forty minute session, I have satisfied my four clients. Forty minutes might seem short but any longer and the child will get bored.