Mankato Photography

Every so often I work on personal project in the studio. Lately I’ve been photographing teens and preteens kids doing what they love.

Let me introduce DeAndre, he’s a writer, a rapper, a basketball player, a brother, a son, a friend and so much more. When I was thinking about how to how to tell his story, I suggested bringing some ear buds to the session. His amazing mom came through big time. She packed up his microphone and ear phones to help tell her son’s story. This first image is my favorite image from the session, but he was a rock star with every single shutter take.

When booking sessions for teens, its important to talk about what makes your son or daughter him/her. We can’t start at what the images will look like, we have to talk about how we want them to feel. What milestones are we celebrating, what dreams are you reaching for, what is happening in your child’s story right now. Then create an image that tells so much more.

While there is still a bunch of snow on the ground here in Mankato, Minnesota, it is the perfect time to do that shopping for your Spring photos. Local stores like Kohls, Target & Once Upon a Child already have their Spring outfits on display.

The question of “what to wear” is usually the first question I get after we book a photo date. Here are a few tried & true tips.

1. Dress in something you feel your best in. For young kids be sure the material doesn’t itch or fit too tight.
2. Find a color that compliments your skin tones and a tone people are used to seeing you in.
3. To keep it easy pick the color that looks best on you and then add one or two colors that compliment that main color.
4. Go easy on the amount of patterns you choose, be sure to mix in some solid colors with your patterns.
5. Layers provide a great look and variety, add a scarf, cardigan, jacket or button up shirt.
6. Accessories can add some depth, considering bringing a hat, belt, necklace etc.
7. Dress the whole family from head to toe, be sure kid’s shoes aren’t too tight or uncomfortable.
8. Pack a back up choice for young kids who might need a back up plan.Here are a few samples of family clothing choices perfect for Spring or Summer-

   

I’ve owned a camera for 25+ years and have heard the phrase “Say cheese” a billion times, but it wasn’t until recently that I wondered WHY?

WHY DO WE SAY CHEESE WHEN BEING PHOTOGRAPHED?

A theory is the fact that the word “cheese” forces you to bring your teeth together in a way that opens up your lips and exposes your teeth and makes you grin. There are many other words in the English language that cause your mouth to make the same facial expression. So how did we land on the word “cheese”?

To start, it may be surprising to know that portraits weren’t all smiles back when portrait sessions were rare. The elite were the only ones that could afford to have photographs taken of them. Photographers would commonly take pictures of them in a way that only had them with a blank expressing. Smiling was seen as something that only the lower class and children did. (sad right?, they also had to sit for very long exposures and it’s way easier to have a somber look for hours then it is to hold a smile)

In looking back to the popular phrase’s origins, one of the first ways “cheese” was used in a way to make someone smile was during the 1940s, appearing in The Big Spring Herald in 1943:

“Now here’s something worth knowing. It’s a formula for smiling when you have your picture taken. It comes from former Ambassador Joseph E. Davies and is guaranteed to make you look pleasant no matter what you’re thinking. Mr. Davies disclosed the formula while having his own picture taken on the set of his “Mission to Moscow.” It’s simple. Just say “Cheese,” It’s an automatic smile. “I learned that from a politician,” Mr. Davies chuckled. “An astute politician, a very great politician. But, of course, I cannot tell you who he was…”  (I dug a little deeper to find out he may have been referring to president Roosevelt, but no one is certain)

So that’s fun right? Some other words I use to get people to smile are “monkey monkey” “money” say “ha ha ha” then they feel silly and laugh.

However my all time favorite “smile advice” came from a very sweet great grandmother in the back of the church. While photographing a wedding party- and struggling to say something funny myself- Grandma yelled from the congregation “Just say penis, that will work, penis, penis, penis”  And yes, yes it did.