A Bit of Knowledge: Children's Photography

It's been such a long time since I posted Matthew's picture on my blog, except for the one of him on the digital postcard, but not much of his face. By the way, thanks to everyone for the comments on the hat. Well, as you can see, Matthew is a big boy now. Will turn 18 months old on November 7th. He is starting to talk a lot; words like mom, dad, yes, no, ball, moon, bubble, google, more, no more, onion, apple, and (ba)nana are some of them, and he also knows almost 80% of the letters of the alphabet. We have a feeling that he may start to read early, as wherever we go and he sees words on the wall or banners in the store, he tries to name them all. It all started with the towel in our bathroom when we started putty training. The towel had Florida on it, and once we decided to spell it out for him, that was the beginning.

Taking photos of children is so much fun, yet it can be frustrating. Thus, we always seek out this perfect photo. I tell you, it isn't easy, especially when mom is taking photos. Next thing they are holding on to your leg and trying to take the camera away from you—a case with Matthew. However, when they play and are preoccupied, it is the best time to take on the photo shoot. And in some cases, other children are just born to pose.

I only have experience with four children in my life, including Matthew and my portfolio of over 10,000 photos of him or more. However, there are two categories of photos. One set is just photos, sometimes not artistic at all, but intended for memories of what Matthew did and played with, how he climbed the stairs [you can go all the way now], and more. In the second category, I usually try to create an environment for him so I can take some more artistic ones. However, my favourite ones are when he actually does not pay attention to the camera—more of the action photos. With time, children grow into taking photos, and they actually start to pose, and believe it or not, in the few photo shoots of Matthew, I got him actually smiling at the camera.

Only once did I take Matthew to the photo studio for the photo shoot, and that was it. I've never really been crazy about it, especially when I have the equipment and the photos are much more meaningful.

'Stay a child while you can be a child' by Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods.


~ Anna

Comments

S-V-H said…
Look at those beautiful, big eyes....!!! He is grown so much, Anna! I liked your post very much.

In 18 months only 10'000 photos...?....LOL... :)
Thanks for sharing.
Susanne
kml said…
His whole face is smiling - what a cutie he is Anna! Thanks for sharing these with us!

I figure you will easily reach 1,000,000 pics by the time he graduates school! LOL!
Anonymous said…
The fist one it's a very lovely portrait, I like how the leaves got blurred on the background!
John Maslowski said…
What an adorable smile, you can tell by this shot that he is truly a very happy and content child. Love the gleam in his eyes, he looks so aware and full of energy. I agree, studio shots are nice and they do have their place. However, for memories, you will always go back and look at your own candid shots and smile.
Marka said…
He's certainly quite the smiling and happy little fella! I've found that when taking photos of people, not just the little ones, the best photos are the ones they didn't realize I was taking.
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Susanne, yes he does have big eyes. You know he actually has two different colors, one is gray and the other brown eye, lol. Susanne, I think there is more, but I lost the count, lol. I knew you would like this post, this time I was thinking about you. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Kathy. Yes he is a smiling baby or boy now, lol. Every time I look at him, it still feels like a dream, lol. I have feeling it is possible to reach a million photos, oh my - it probably will take another life time to go through them, I guess I better start sorting them now, lol. Kathy, thanks again for your nice visit and comment. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
gabrielrobledoeng thanks so much for your nice comment and visit. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
John thanks so much for your kind comment. You guessed it right, he is full of energy, I have to watch him all the time, and if I have to grab something, I have to grab him too. Likes to hide, lol.

I really don't have anything against studios, just my own preference, lol, and like you said: 'studio shots are nice and they do have their place. However, for memories, you will always go back and look at your own candid shots and smile.' - so so true.

John thanks so much again for taking your time to comment. Always enjoy reading them. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Marka thanks so much for your comment again. You are so right, that 'the best photos are the ones they didn't realize I was taking.'. Its the tension factor that puts people under stress, and funny or not, camera can capture that emotion, lol. Thanks again for your thoughts. Anna :)
Anna: Matt is such a cutie and very photogenic, you did a neat job in capturing him.
Alex said…
Dos bellas fotografias, los niños tienen una mirada que ilumina mis sentimientos recordando cuando yo lo era.
Saludos.
Peter said…
Matthew is showing plenty of character now that he is all grown up. Is he the perfect angel always?

Take Care,
Peter
Merging Point said…
unaware of whats in store, let me tell you Anna, "He looks so cute and vibrant". It really fills within when we are with kids. they are so natural and thats the best way to photograph too.
Beauty!!!
Anya said…
Its a beautiful boy :))))
Fantastic shot !!

greetings from The Netherlands
Anya :)
Kareltje =^.^=
Swubird said…
Just look at that little guy---growing and growing. Before long he'll be a teenage, then college, then coming to visit mommy and daddy on the weekends and you'll be able to show him all those great pictures you've taken. It'll warm his heart.

Happy trails
Marvin said…
Such beautiful eyes... what a handsome young man he is.
kRiZcPEc said…
Matthew's just so cute!
Kelly said…
...great post. I used to love photographing my Matty when he was little. He was just so darn cute (just like your Matthew is!!!). I can almost remember every photo I took, and it warms my heart whenever I look at them. At 14, Matty is now very handsome and a sweet kid, but we're always so buys, sometimes photographing him falls by the wayside. I have plenty of photos of special occasions and him playing hockey, but the everyday shots are not there. Thanks for reminding me!! I always love your posts.
Max Coutinho said…
Awwww, Matthew is so beautiful!!! He is going to be a heart-breaker! :D

Hello Anna,

Indeed, it is not easy to take a child's photo (specially when mom is the one taking the picture: my brother used to throw pillows at my mom LOL).
I think you did well not to take Matt back to a studio; because a photo taken by you has much more meaning than one taken by anyone else.

Thanks for sharing this with us, darling :D!

Cheers
Bird said…
Oh my what big eyes he has! I love the top photo, where you are on the same level as him. It has a lovely sense of intimacy.
myonlyphoto said…
This Is My Blog - fishing guy thanks so much for your kind comment. You know he is even more adorable in person, and so kissable too, lol. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Hi Alex, and thanks so much for your visit and kind comment - yes childhood memories are wonderful. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Peter I think it is more than plenty of character lol. No he is not a prefect angel, but you know I only remember the good stuff about him. The thing is I know that some of the things he does are just because he does not fully understand why. He learns though. For example, for the longest time he would drop everything he had on the high chair, including food, grab his head and say Oh ohhhhh. But then we religiously keep telling him and showing him this is not the way to do it. He knows now. It is all part of the learning process. However, he definitely knows how to tell us nice and loud 'no no noooo'. Peter again thanks for your visit and comment, good question too. Anna :)
beanow said…
Fantastic boy!!! Beautiful eyes! Charming portrait!
Bea :)
Will said…
Hi Anna! That one of him on the sidewalk is a beautiful, classic, shot! Ten thousand in 18 months? Oh my Mom! ;-)

All our kids read early without any real effort to teach them early on our part. I think the key is them seeing parents read and, perhaps most important, them being read to every day.
RW said…
What a great looking kid Anna! All those photos rock! :)
myonlyphoto said…
Hi Merging Point, nice to see you back, and thanks so much for your wise and kind words. Yes it really fill the heart when I am with him. Thanks again, Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Anya welcome to my blog and thanks so much for your kind comment and greetings. I will be popping over your site shortly. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Swubird, you know he is growing really fast, and surprise us every time. I did not mention in my post, but he is little computer whiz. You should see him operating mouse and playing games, lol.

I hope he will enjoy those pictures, and hopefully read my blog too, lol. Thanks my friend for your nice visit. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks so much Marvin for your kind comment. He is our little man, lol. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Kriz, and he is also so kissable, lol. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Kelly, that's nice that we have something in common. I used to photograph Matthew everyday, but now since his growing kind of slowed down, we only video tape things he does. When he grows up, I will definitely miss the little him, but then we learn how to love them every age they are. Thanks Kelly for sharing your thoughts about your Matty, appreciated. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Dear Max, thanks so much for your kind comment. Your brother throwing pillows at your mom, oh that must have been funny, hopefully she got that on camera. You know Max Matthew will be heart breaker, and he is now too. We we go shopping, people love him, and he likes people. At times he will spontaneously smile or wave at people, and then get shy. The best one yet, he calls me all the time. I will be in the next isle, and I can hear him yelling out loud 'mom' - yes he is very loud, and active child - I guess that what you get when two quite people get married and produce an offspring, lol. Oh I will miss those cute days..... Max thanks so much again, Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Bird thanks so much for your kind comment. You said: 'the same level as him. It has a lovely sense of intimacy.' - I didn't realize that, but you know you are right. He loves when I am at his height. Thanks again, Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Bea for your kind comment, and visit. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Hey Will thanks so much for your visit and kind comment. Probably more than 10 k, lol.

You are so right about reading to them. I started to read to him when he was 2-3 months old, a peek a book, and you know he really picked up on that. He has short attention span if comes to toys, but he can sit with a book for many good minutes and read to himself, lol. I never mention, be he also love computers, can play educational games, knows the sequence to shut down the computer, and knows many other sequences how to start his games. Teaching him all kinds of stuff, letters, puzzles, coloring and computer stuff is so much fun, he really picks things up fast. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Hey Roger my friend thanks so much for your kind comment. Anna :)
Peter said…
Hi! Just a quick visit to say I received an invite to Google Wave. Part of the deal is that I can now invite people myself by adding their email address within my wave site so they too can have access to Google Wave. If you are interested please let me know.

Take Care,
Peter
Endearing photos, Anna. I have said before, but will repeat that I think Matthew is so fortunate to have parents who enjoy his every life stage so much. Do you remember people pinching your cheeks when you were little. I didn't like that, but when I see Matthew's sweet little face, I just want to reach out and touch (maybe not pinch) those cheeks.
myonlyphoto said…
Hey Peter, no problem let me know what I have to do. Thanks. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Hi Carol and thanks so much for your kind comment. About the cheeks, I remember that very clearly, but in my family they also kiss you till you out of breath, lol, remember we did this too our brother, and now we are doing to Matthew also, lol, and he love is. Will see later. He used to have much bigger cheeks, they are slimming down as he is growing older. Carol thanks again for bringing additional nice memories. Anna :)
Anonymous said…
The two portraits are very nice ones. I prefer the top one as that is him we would all see and the bottom one is the one only those in church would get to see on Sunday morning. I guess it is formal and informal and which appeals to you. They are both excellent shots.
Dick said…
Very nice shots, for me the first one is the best but I don't know exactly why.
Matthew looks great, I bet in no time he will be smarter than us, lol
Lovely photos! Thanks for sharing them with us. He's an adorable boy. It's hard to believe that my kids were that young and innocent once. Then, they grow up and start to want things, heh heh. Great photos, Anna. -Mike.
Patty said…
What a little cutie. I would think taking photos of children would be very hard, either they won't sit still or they don't want to smaile.

Myself I have never been very good with a camera, I leave that up to my husband. LOL

Thanks for your visit and comment, appreciate it. Hope you have a wonderful new week coming up.
MedaM said…
Hi Anna, these two photos of Mathew are wonderful. He is so cute little boy and looks adorable on both photos. I really enjoyed both reading your lovely post and looking at Mathew's sweet face, his beautiful big eyes, and lovely smile that reveal several white little teeth….he is adorable child indeed! :-)
Lynda Lehmann said…
Your Matthew is such an adorable and handsome young fellow, with a glow in his eyes to match his smile!

It's good that you have taken many photos not for the artfulness of them, but just to capture his growth and milestones. The memories will be precious.

I filled about 15 FAT photo albums with photos of our daughter, back in the days when I had to PAY to have them developed. I had to stop, because I was running out of space in my closet for the albums!

Your photos are super, Anna! :) I share your happiness with Matthew's growth and development.

And thank you for all your recent comments. I have not seen you in awhile, here or there, and I missed you.
holdingmoments said…
Beautiful pictures Anna.
The first shot of your son, has again captured all that is 'childhood'. Excellent.
Zbyszek said…
Cudny malec...dzieci są zawsze dobrymi modelami, a ten szczególnie:)
Jeevan said…
Wow! This was a lovely capture on your son and may be because he is :)

Yes, taking pictures of children are not easy, but one of my uncle’s kid gives well pose to camera.

It was really wonderful to know he speaks more words and know alphabets in this stage. I hope he has the ability to pick up soon. My best wishes to him :)
Your Matthew is a real cutie. I love the way you capture bits and pieces of his life. Nicely done and you challenge us all.
David Leonard said…
Hi Anna, Matthew is so cute. That's great pictures! See you soon! David
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Abe for your continuous support and your kind comment. Hope you are enjoying your blogging break. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Dick, yes I like the first photo too, may be because it was a spontaneous shot, and on the second one Matthew was asked to smile. Thanks again for your comment Dick. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Michael J. Kannengieser it is nice to see you back again. Yes it is hard to believe that they grow so fast. Sometimes it feels like a dream, and the dream is talking now too, lol, and wants many things, lol. Thanks Michael again for your comment and visit. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Patty thanks so much for visiting my blog again. Yes your husband is great photographers, but you know digital technology is very easy, and I am sure if you got hold of camera you will be a pro too. Thanks again for your kind comment Patty. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Medam for your always kind comments. Yes Matthew has teeth, but you know he is very slow. All his friends on the street have a full set of them. However, he has no problem eating solid food. Thanks again for your comment Medam, appreciated. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Yes Lynda I have been missing you too. Thanks so much for your kind comment. You know I have over 2000 printed photos before digital technology, and you are right - space issue can be a very big issue and as well the cost. I love digital technology, lol. Lynda thanks so much for your kind words again, I will make sure to pop into your peripheral view sometimes this weekend, Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks holidngmoments. Looks like the first photo has the popular vote, lol. Thanks again for your wise words. Anna :)
Unknown said…
Beautiful images, I like the first one a lot. Thanks to the fact that you have take over 10,000 images, he is not camera shy at all, he seems to welcome the idea of posing for an image.
myonlyphoto said…
Zbyszek dziekuje bardzo za ladne wyrazy. Pozdrawiam serdecznie, Ania :)
myonlyphoto said…
Jeevan thanks so much for your kind words. Yes every day we hear few new words. Hopefully he will be able to speak so he can communicate clearly. Sometimes we just don't understand him. Jeevan thanks again for your kind words and visit, Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Hey Robyn, wow its been a long time, but it is always nice to see you. Thanks so much for your kind words, appreciated. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
David thanks so much for your kind words. It is nice to see you here, and hope Thomas is doing well. He is cute boy too. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thomas thanks so much for your comment. He is not, but he wants to operate camera too. Every time we go for a walk I bring point and shoot one, and let him operate. He always seems to know what he is doing. Thanks Thomas for your visit, I have seen some stunning images on your blog just couple of hours ago. Keep up the good work, you are amazing photographer. Anna :)
You're so right and so perfect!

Phyan
George said…
That first photo is absolutely adorable. I can understand why it is easy to have so many photos of such a photogenic young man. I hope we'll see more of Matthew in the future.
Tatiana V said…
Anna dear, your Matthew has grown indeed, and he looks so happy and handsome :)
Louis la Vache said…
What a cute little guy! «Louis» gives you a tip of his beret for encouraging him to learn to read early!
Nancy J. Locke said…
Anna, how PRECIOUS!!! Matthew is a darling!!! Great photography from mom.:D

That's cute that he has google in his vocabulary. A new age. :D

Your post is delightful and perfect!!!

I'm recuperating and hope to feel like my old self in another week. :D

Hugs, JJ
Bob Johnson said…
Only 10,000, lol, what a young man he is becoming, you guys must be very proud Anna.
Astro-Nuts said…
Hey Anna. Haven't been here for a bit, but good post. I have kids, so this post was helpful. I have attempted to photograph kids and it can be frustrating indeed. Take care.
Anna said…
Bhavesh Chhatbar thanks for your kind comment. Anna :)
Michael said…
Great shot- first photo is simply the best.


Thanks for your post on my blog.

Keep in touch ;)
myonlyphoto said…
Bhavesh Chhatbar thanks so much for your comment. Sorry for late reply.... Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks George for your kind words. Oh yes you will see Matthew growing up here, lol. Thanks again, and sorry for late reply ... Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Tatiana V you know he is our little happy camper. He is really growing, and everyday he learns or does something new. Thanks for your comment Tatiana, and sorry for late response ... Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Chin, appreciated your visit and comment. Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Louis la Vache thank you so much for your kind comment, and welcome to my blog. We encourage Matthew to read every day, he loves his books. Thanks again, and sorry for late reply ... Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
JJ yes google is in his vocabulary, and he actually can recognize the whole word when we write for him. I am just so amazed by his progress, by 19 months, he knows all the letters in the alphabet, and can recognize words like mom, and dad, and loves spelling each. And recently he is into numbers and colors...I love every day with him JJ, days are so precious. Thanks so much my dear friend for commenting, it means a lot. Hope health wise everything is fine with you. Thanks again, Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Bob, only 10,000 and going on 20,000. Bob he learned how to operate a camera, now he is starting to take pictures of me, lol, and does the same thing like I do walking around sometimes and taking abstract photos. He is so funny. Yes Bob we are really proud, and we cherish every moment with him, a true miracle of life. Bob hope all is well with you, and sorry for such a late response ... Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Astro-Nuts thanks for visiting, and glad I could help a bit. I had such a hard time taking Christmas photo of Matthew, not like last year, was able to sit him and he wouldn't go anywhere, and now, lol. Thanks for dropping by, and sorry for such a late response ... Anna :)
myonlyphoto said…
Thanks Michael for your kind comment. Will do, just added you to my reader. Anna :)
HaQeeM said…
Is it your son?

wow so cute, i cant describe by the word...the smile, the eyes, he will become a handsome man...

i like it so much...=)

~ HaQeeM ~
Wow very 2 lovely photography. this child is looking very beautiful.all its looking very nice.