RE: [Leica] Kidtips

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

God, Ted, you really pushed all my nostalgia/impending old age
buttons....One of the major traumas of my childhood was getting the GD
chicken pox when I had tickets to be in the Peanut Gallery of the Howdy
Doody Show...."What time is it kids?"
"It's Howdy Doody time!" :-)

B. D.


- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Ted
Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2000 12:04 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] Kidtips


Kids @ home portraits! aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh  I'm going to kill the kid or
myself whichever comes first! :-)

Years ago when I was a slave for a studio owner, we had to do, as I got to
call
them "hateful home portraits." The owner of the studio booked these sittings
without any questions of, "when is the best time for the child, when is he
the
most alert, afternoon or morning, after nap, feeding etc."  So we could
arrive
at the peak of the kid's daily misery time and attempt to do a nice picture
because he's "so cute!" Quote mother!

One afternoon I tried for over an hour to get this little rug rat to give
any
kind of "smiling" response. Not only was I ready to throttle the kid, the
mother
was running an even closer bet at being strung up from the ceiling. I asked
her
what time was he at his best during the day?

Some of you folks are old enough to remember the old kids TV show, "Howdy
Doo
Dee." So the mother says he's just all smiles and happy faces as soon as he
hears the theme music start,  just wonderful to see him.

Bingo! An hour till theme music. Turn off lights, put kid out to play.
Mother
makes a coffee, I calm down and prepare for final run at this cranky little
sob
kid.  Five minutes to theme music, kid is back in place, lights on, TV set
on,
music starts, kid comes to life like a dream model. The smilies are coming
faster than I can shoot.   Five minutes clicking away. Tear down lights,
gear
packed and I'm out of there swearing I'm never going to do this crap again!
However.... etc. and you know we should never say never! :-)

just one of the "kids are cute" home portrait stories.:-)
ted






Wilber Jeffcoat wrote:

> One of my ground rules when working with a parent and a child 1. If you
say
> to your child "Say Cheese" or "Smile for the Nice Man" Your bill is
doubled.
> And don't threaten your child with violence on my part. Really makes it
hard
> to work with someone who is afraid of you.
> Cheers Wilber
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "M.E.Berube" <MEB@goodphotos.com>
> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2000 8:59 PM
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Kidtips
>
> > At 06:56 PM 11/9/00 -0600, Mike Johnston wrote:
> > >     --Get the parents out of the room (unless it makes the kid cry).
> Usually
> > >the parents are anxious for the kind to behave and look good, and the
> kid's
> > >radar hones in on the parent's anxiety and the kid gets tense.
> >
> > My favourite was always...Mother: "Smile nicely for the photographer or
> > I'll spank you!" (I actually even had one tell her child that I'LD spank
> > him if he didn't smile...we put an end to that session right there.)
> >
> > I didn't mean to imply earlier that I had been fed up with photographing
> > the kids...the kids are often tough but the...MOTHERS, on the other
hand,
> I
> > have no patience for.
> >
> > Glad to have a real job and able to be out of that game. I don't
> photograph
> > anyone under 16 now for money.
> >
> > More power and income those blessed with that patience. Good tips Mike.
> >
> > Carpe Luminem,
> > Michael E. Berube
> >