I did this session the other day and I got some really nice images....but here is my problem.

5 year old boy...not interested in having his pic taken...he is freaking out in most of the pics...I mean spazzing with his whole body...making weird faces...the whole bit. The client really wanted a posed family portrait...I got one...but that is it...just one usable out of 200 shots. I would like to be able to have more than just 1...I mean I am supposed to be a pro...at least that's what I am aiming to be.

I have run into this before...usually with 2 year olds... I just don't know what to do sometimes. I had a cool conversation with him and got some nice shots during that but most of the time he was just too fast to keep up with.

Any advice and some serious CC wanted and welcome!

Thanks!

I know I posted a lot of pic's but I wanted give a good show of the session and what I was able to get.

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As a mother of 2 spazzy boys... You have to have one foot in the same mudpuddle!

If you can't keep up they are gonna blow right by you. Gain their trust and play their game, and then they will play yours!

It also helps to know some fun jokes and have a pocket full of smarties as a reward.

You can also bribe them with one silly pic, show them their silly face in the LCD and then one calm pic with sissy or dad... etc.

Wow, he is a cutie! I think mom will love these!

I don't have a ton of experience under my belt yet, but so far what has worked for us with kids of all kinds is first of all, to take a bajillion pics! If it's a family session, and we know mom wants some posed stuff, we explain that we'll grab a few family portraits or posed portraits first, and then we'd like to just follow the family/kid around and capture them being THEM. And since that's a lot of what our portfolio is made up of anyway, moms usually expect and want that. Then what pretty much happens is, after the session, when I'm editing the pics, I'm generally bored with the posed stuff, and way more thrilled with the candid stuff! And guess what.... so is mom when she sees her proofs!

I think the dad looks more like a spaz than the boy. I can see dad's tension. He looks annoyed (probably at spaz boy).

But that's a cute shot of spaz boy and dad!

I'm thinking if that's the only family picture you got, maybe you could offer to give it one more try at a later date AFTER you show them these and get the initial reaction. Wait to hear what they say before you make any offers. They might just love them all!

P.S. I feel your pain. I had a bit of a spaz boy today too. But he was counteracted by his brother, the photographer's assistant extraordinaire of the future!!!

Moms gonna love these! No doubt. I had a mom one time that just wanted super cheesy smile posed stuff. We did a few in the beginning and then we just goofed off, but the whole time she kept hinting at more posed stuff, so we did a bunch more at the end. Her child was totally squirrley and didn't want to sit/stand still, but mom forced it cuz she wanted that pic. Well in the end, when she saw her pictures...guess which ones she liked? Yup the candid ones. She said "That's her! How did you capture that? I didn't see that." She was so caught up in getting the posed stuff and completly overlooked what really matters...the true personality of her child. People don't even know what they want until you give it to them.

You've gotten some good advice already but definitely say something like, "OK, we can take some silly pictures and then we'll take some not so silly."

Someone on OSP mentioned once that they whisper to get the kid's attention. That's a great trick that has now worked for me.

You could also approach it the way some people suggest potty-training a kid. Have the kid teach a doll to stand still or teach Mommy to stand still. Then, they feel like a helper and not a trained seal.

I wasn't on your shoot but I can almost guarantee that both parents were talking simultaneously trying to get the kid to settle down and look at you. When that happens, gently tell them that they should keep looking in the lens and you will get the kid's attention.

I don't like the idea of candy because some parents simply don't want their kids eating candy. Plus, why give a squirmy kid sugar?

Another OSP trick (can't remember who) was to ask the kid, "Can you see my eye in the lens?" That usually puzzles them enough to stop and look. Although sometimes they end up leaning forward and tilting their head like a confused puppy. So you have to use that sparingly and move fast!

Don't you dare smile. Don't you DARE SMILE. DON'T YOU DARE SMILE!

Gotta use that one sparingly too. They catch on fast.

thanks for all the response! you guys gave some great tips...i think i just need to stay more relaxed when things start to get a little wild.

i am happy with what i got on this shoot...i just don't like how i felt.

oh by the way...it's 115 degrees where i live today.

I love the shot of the boy sitting alone on the corner. Reminds me of many times that I was sat in "timeout" as a child.

Excellent work.