August, 2010
© Tim Pannell
My niece is now 24 years old. I remember like it was just yesterday, her performing on the fireplace hearth and bowing to our thunderous applause and shouting “Thank you – Gentlemen!” as she jumped into what she believed to be a mosh pit on the carpet. She was 2 1/2 years old at the time and living in Long Beach…….cuter than crap!
These little kids that we love, nurture, protect, bandage and teach eventually do grow up and leave the nest to start their own life’s journey and adventure…….really cool ride, but it always puts a lump in my throat
© Tim Pannell
She just got married a couple of weeks ago and I took the opportunity to take her and her, then, fiancee out to the Salt Flats to shoot them in their tux and gown.
What a blast we had! I left the house at about 2:30 in the morning to be able to pick them up in Salt Lake and whisk them off to the Salt Flats before sunrise.
© Tim Pannell
We lucked out and had a beautiful day…….temperatures were in the 60′s and no wind. I would have preferred having a few more clouds than we did have, but after living in Utah for almost 7 months now, I’m grateful for any day that isn’t raining or snowing.
They’re a great looking couple and we got a bunch of great shots….they were troopers to get up so early in the morning, but I think they were more than happy with the results we got.
As parents, sometimes we’re guilty of not shooting as many pics of our kids as they get older. Their not quite as cute as they were when they were 2 and 3 so we don’t look for as many opportunities to shoot pictures with them.
© Tim Pannell
The lesson today is to recognize that they’re ALWAYS cute and to shoot them even past their teen years. At least until they start cranking out their own kids and then they’ll have to take a back seat to their own kids as we shoot image after image of the next generation of “little ones”.
Have fun and enjoy the ride…..it’s the best one there is!
Just a side note – If any of you have older kids that are getting married up here in Utah…..one of the gazillion weddings up here every year…..and want great shots of them in their tux and gown just contact me and I’d be happy to set something up. I don’t shoot weddings at all, but I will spend time with couples that want one of a kind gorgeous images….just not on their wedding day. Trust me…it’s worth it. I hope to hear from you soon.
Have a great day!
© Tim Pannell Photography
One of the biggest problems people have shooting kids is expecting them to act, behave and or pose a certain way. Once the shoot starts, many times that sweet little darling kid won’t want anything to do with your preconceived ideas to photograph.
I know what it’s like to have a picture in my head of what I want to get and not being able to get it. At this point, you have two choices….continue beating your head against a rock trying to get your unco-operative subject to pose exactly the way you want…..or to go with the flow and see what the kid will give you.
After being in the business for over 20 years, I can pretty well figure out what’s going to happen within about 5 minutes of working with any child. This is not the time or place to become the ultimate disciplinarian. You can coerce the child into submission, but it comes with a really heavy price. They’ll never want to shoot with you again. They’ll remember you as a bully.
In my opinion, it’s just not worth it to get a picture. I’ve learned that by letting go of the reins and relinquishing “control” I’m more likely to walk away with a great image. It will most likely not look like anything that I envisioned at the beginning of the session, but I can promise you that it’ll be a better shot than the one I’d get by forcing and imposing my will on a kid.
Many times I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the outcome and on several occasions I’ve been rewarded with shots that I am completely in love with. This shot was done of my nephew. He hated having his picture taken, but was so cute I insisted on him letting me photograph him. We got set up and were ready to shoot and he wasn’t going to have any of it. I shot him anyway ….I kidded around with him a little bit and just hung out for a while and I wound up getting this image. To this day it’s my favorite shot I’ve ever taken of Kai.
He’s 10 years older now and has become a great model on top of that. He’s let me do countless shots of him over the years and I’m sure there will be countless more to come.
Just remember to take what the subject gives you. If they can’t smile with teeth showing don’t insist that they smile with their teeth showing. It’s all a give and take….kind of an elaborate dance between subject and photographer. Once you get into a flow you’ll feel it and that’s when the magic happens. Enjoy the ride!
