Not every one-year-old walks into a studio and immediately performs for the camera. Most of them need a few minutes to work out what’s going on, who this person is, and whether any of this is worth smiling about. That’s completely normal, and it’s nothing to worry about.
This little girl came in for her first birthday session and was taking her time warming up. Sensible, really. So we did what we always do – got dad involved, had a bit of a play, and just let things settle at their own pace.
And this is the shot that came out of it.
It’s one of the things I always try to get across to parents before a session: the warm-up is part of the session. The in-between moments, the mid-laugh, the being-thrown-in-the-air face – these are often the best images of the whole shoot. They don’t need to be formal or static to be worth having. Sometimes the opposite is true.
She was flying by the end. In more ways than one.
