I tried - I really really really REALLY tried to get a half way decent picture of my son yesterday. These were the best I got out of the FULL GIG worth of pictures I took.
I have been TRYING - without much success - to get updated photos of my family. You know for that family wall everyone's got in their house.
I keep telling him that it's in my Mom Contract that I get at least one decent picture of him a year.
Here's what kills me. He makes all these funny faces when I want to take his pictures, he will them turn around and complain that I don't have enough pictures of him.
His smile looks natural enough in these. He doesn't look like he is 'making faces' so you must have done something right! I would allow a serious picture or two, shoot from an angle slightly higher up so his eyes are open in stead of squinty, or allow him to look away from the camera. He strikes me as the kind of kid that would be comfortable sitting backwards in a chair with his arms crossed in front of him on the back of the chair. If he is sitting and you are standing, it will give you just even of an elevated angle to shoot and just let him sit there while you walk around him. Shoot that pose from multiple angles (sides) and have him both look at you when photographing and some with him looking away. My guess, is he is more comfortable not looking at the camera. With a little give and take, you just might get a shot he likes and one you like! Just my suggestion for whatever it's worth. I have an autistic son who is near impossible to photograph, so we usually take what we can get with him. Good Luck!
It's a give and take thing, bribery does work.(:ha ha:) Soon enough he'll be asking a favor, and you can always say, remember the photo shoot?? But they are really good pictures.
