CreativeLIVE San Francisco: Tamara Lackey’s Children Posing Guide

A few weeks ago, I walked into the CreativeLIVE studio to learn from one of the best child and family photographers, Tamara Lackey. Tamara’s book “The Art of Children’s Photography” is what inspired me a few years ago to first start photographing children and families. It was so different from what I had encountered before, in that it really honed in on capturing the personality and spirit of the child. It was the first book that I had read that actually spent a substantial amount of time discussing different personalities and how best to interact with them.

Note: Though I had my DSLR with me, I opted for using my iPhone so I could be a bit more flexible in taking notes, etc. That’s my disclaimer 🙂

Reading Tamara’s book was also one of the many things that helped me realize why I find photography to be such a powerful medium. Even before I knew how to handle a DSLR, I was the one in my family that would grab the simple film point and shoot camera to make sure we had photos of our family. When my first nephew was born, that habit went into overdrive and I probably captured every bit of drool coming out of his mouth (along with all the beautiful, lovely moments, of course). My best friend lovingly teases me for the way I take mental photographs of moments I don’t want to ever forget. I actively think of the clicking sound of the shutter and then I hear my brain say “Kodak moment.”  I know, total cheese.

 

I guess I have always subconsciously known what drove me to photography but it took lots of different experiences before I realized it consciously. My family arrived to the US in the 1980’s after political chaos ensued in our hometown of Nairobi, Kenya. During the election-based riots that were taking place in Kenya at the time, our house, among many others was ransacked. When the six of us (my youngest brother was born here later) arrived in Los Angeles, all of our shared belongings were in two standard sized suitcases. That amazes me now but I was too young to understand the incredible loss my parents endured back then. Growing up, I had a handful of photographs from back home that augmented my parents’ stories about our family. I have a total of 5 baby photos and then there’s a gap until I’m about 4 years old. My older sister doesn’t have any photographs of herself under the age of about 6 or 7. I’ve never seen photographs of my parents’ wedding. I have relied on the stories my parents shared and my overactive imagination to fill in years of our family’s life. Not having those photographs really allows me to appreciate how valuable they can be to families.

 

Tamara Lackey’s book opened up a new way for me to envision photographing children and families. I have followed her work for years and learned so much from her first CreativeLIVE workshop. I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn and connect with her in person this time. I’m so glad I drummed up the courage to put myself out there because I walked away with a wealth of knowledge. I also felt more inspired and motivated than before the workshop.

 

Here are some of the big things I took away from the Children’s Posing Guide workshop as well as some of my behind the scenes capture. Although I brought my DSLR with me, I opted for iPhone photos so I could also take notes and jump in to assist with the reflector when asked.

 

 

SETTING EXPECTATIONS :

Tamara talked about how crucial it is to set expectations, not just about the details of the shoot but all the way through to the sale. Setting expectations is key in creating a wonderful experience for clients.

Niko working hard to help Tamara get her exposure for the window lit bedroom scene (studio set up):

WARDROBE:

I have always felt a bit stuck between the super rigid clothing ideas I’ve seen promoted amongst many photographers and the idea of having clients just showing up however they want. I definitely am not on board with either and my main goal always is to create flattering portraits that represent my client’s personalities. So it always felt like a middle ground had to exist but I just wasn’t sure how to convey that. During the first CreativeLIVE workshop, I remember thinking how fun and full of personality one particular photo of a little girl had. A lot of it had to do with her clothing…boots, tutu, jean jacket, funky umbrella. There was a lot going on there, but it all worked. The other thing I had trouble with was figuring out wardrobe changes especially when out on location. Tamara suggested asking clients to bring 2-3 layered outfits so that you can peel off jackets, throw on hats, etc and still get a variety of looks. As far as wardrobe changes, that has a lot to do with knowing your location, setting expectations and maybe bringing a big ol’ blanket to change behind.

MOOD MANAGEMENT:

My personal opinion is that this is one of Tamara’s strongest skills. She explained that we don’t necessarily have to keep everyone happy as much as we have to keep everyone engaged. She gave us permission to put down our cameras during a shoot in order to connect and re-engage our subjects. And she talked about how mood is contagious and how we can use that to our advantage.

This was the messy house scene. Besides seeing how Tamara handles clearing out spaces for portraits, it was a brilliant example of mood management. The youngest boy in the family was hyper active and wasn’t super cooperative. He was being a kid, really. Tamara played and joked with him and after trying to get him into some photos with his calmer siblings, she shifted focus and let him expend his energy while she took some photos of the other two children. At some point, the youngest hit a dip in his energy and almost seemed really down. At this point, he got really attached to mom and Tamara seized that opportunity to put mom into the photos and got a great family photo. 

GETING THE GOLDEN MOMENTS:

I absolutely loved seeing Tamara work with children of all ages during the three days at CreativeLIVE. It really brought home the message that there are ups and downs in every shoot. The important thing is about how you deal with them. It was invaluable watching her coax a shy little girl to interact with her, and by extension, with the camera. I saw her work with a highly spirited child that wouldn’t take any direction. Both situations required very different techniques. But throughout the process, Tamara was genuine and definitely very goofy. In fact, one of my favorite quotes from the day was: “Silence societal norms. Encourage the inner goof.”

This young man had the most gorgeous eyes. Here Tamara was demonstrating another way to deal with harsh sunilight by adding a diffuser above and a reflector underneath.

COMPOSITION/FRAMING:

Tamara went over a large number of composition and framing ideas that she uses in her sessions. This helped me a lot because I know I tend to get in close with my subjects. After a while, it can be easy to take the same kind of shots repeatedly. Just having her ideas to review helps me to start looking at things from a different perspective.

 

Tamara works in harsh sunlight, demonstrating how she would position her subject.

 

Tamara works in harsh sunlight, demonstrating how she would position her subject while also avoiding distracting elements and getting that beautiful spirit and energy.  

MARKETING IN A NEW CITY:

I had asked a specific question about how to get started in a new city with a new market since this is what I’m struggling with now. Right off the bat Tamara had a list of ideas, some of which I have already been working on and some that I had never thought of.

 

Jyoti feathers the light from a reflector into the subject’s face to get soft, beautiful light while the sun acts as a backlight/hair light.

Another idea is to set the reflector on the floor when posing the subjects on their tummies.

TEACHING PHOTOGRAPHY:

I have always been very passionate about education. I loved my teaching job and what I miss most about it is the connections I made with my students. I found it fulfilling to empower my students. I miss feeling like I am making an impact on someone’s life in a very direct way. So when I sat down to write my new business plan last year, I wrote down some long term goals. One very important goal involves combining my love for photography with my passion for teaching. I haven’t worked out the details of how that will all work out but I know that is the direction I’d like to go in. As I watched Tamara teach, I realized I was viewing her through two lenses: that of a teacher and that of a photographer. It was just as important for me to learn her techniques with children as it was for me to learn how she teaches.

 

Another wonderful thing that came out of my experience at CreativeLIVE is the connection I developed with the other studio audience members. It is amazing how much you can learn about someone (and from someone) when you spend three whole days with them. They helped to make the experience memorable and I look forward to seeing each of us grow our businesses. Also, you know when you watch CreativeLIVE and you wonder if everyone really is that kind and friendly? I’m here to tell you, yes they are! Everyone I met that worked at CreativeLIVE was so friendly and encouraging, I felt a little spoiled by the time I left. I was especially happy to meet Kenna and Russ. Russ is just hilarious online so it was great seeing that he’s the same way in person. Kenna is someone that really inspires me and one day, I definitely want to sit down and hear all the stories about her trip around the world. That is something I’ve dreamed about doing and I hope that my photography career will help me achieve that dream one day.

 

My fellow classmates. Thanks to Jyoti for the photo:

 

Wow, either Russ is really much taller in person, or I’m much short in photos!

 

We also had a surprise visitor! Dane Sanders, author of Fast Track Photographer and the founder of Better Together, stopped by to say hello to Tamara and the CreativeLIVE staff.

The new CreativeLIVE studio in San Francisco is so nice! This is a section of the lovely rooftop lounge area.