Your Child's Portrait - Choosing the Perfect Setting

Welcome to part three of our series - Your Child's Portrait. Once you choose the right child portrait photographer, the next step is choosing your setting. It can be in the photographer's studio or at an off-site location but either way, you need to consider six things when making this choice. The location should...

1. Make your child or children feel comfortable: You can pick the most beautiful setting, either a backdrop in the photographer's studio or some idyllic spot outdoors, but if it makes your child apprehensive the scenery won't matter. It will make for a more stressful experience and a less than expected portrait result.
2. Put your child or children and you in a good mood: The happier anyone feels, the better they photograph. This is especially true of children. Plus, if they start out happy, the odds that the entire portrait session is an enjoyable experience are much better.
3. Take into account your child's personality: If sitting still is hard for your child, then consider more of an action shot. The subject doesn't always have to be standing in place or seated in a portrait. If your children are always on the go, capturing them in motion together may better reflect your family and thus better tell your story.
4. Possibly has significant meaning for your family: Is there a spot that holds a special place for your family. This is a way to make your child's portrait more specific and unique to them. Plus it will most likely help achieve goals 1 and 2.
5. Fit in with the mood and decor of the place you plan to hang the portrait: If you are hanging the portrait in a formal dining or living room, then you might want to consider a more traditional setting. Whereas if you plan to hang it in a more casual room in your home then you have more leeway to think outside the box with your setting.
6. If outside the studio, a place where the photographer is willing to go: If you have a particular off-site location in mind, make sure the photographer you have chosen is willing to go there.

You should discuss all of these points with your photographer before the actual portrait session. If you don't have a particular setting in mind, ask the photographer what he would suggest. Make sure you tell him of any specific likes or dislikes that your child has, as that will help him help you pick the perfect setting.

And the perfect setting, along with the right photographer, has you two thirds of the way to a beautiful child portrait. Stay tuned this week for the final post of this series - appropriate timing for your child's portrait session.

Related Posts:
Your Child's Portrait - Nightmare or Dream Come True
Your Child's Portrait - Selecting the Right Photographer