Behind the scenes - photo session with kids

I'm showing, and telling, something different today. Some behind the scenes moments, what and how things happen during a photo session with kids. I had help of 4 beautiful children, and it all took place in Capo Gallo (Mondello side).

Before the shoot we had a little chat with parents to prepare - to discuss how things will go, what clothes to wear, and what their kids like to do outside. So we had a little plan of their usual and favourite activities, plus I also prepared some ideas for games and things to do. I was a bit nervous - mostly because of communication and language issues. My Italian is pretty decent when it comes to conversation, it's writing that's the problem - but photo shoot is always an intense and emotional experience when you have to keep track of what's happening, if everyone is feeling ok and enjoying it, if we're moving ahead and getting some photos, if we need some new ideas and activities or just need to move to a new spot, if my camera settings are right, if background is decent, if I am moving fast enough (sometimes you have to run with the kids!) and able to get all the right moments... Having potential language challenge just makes everything a bit extra tricky. At the end, things worked out quite smoothly.

I know Capo Gallo quite well, so the exact spots where we go were picked in advance. One of my favourite things there is tall grass, that always works great in photos - it has so much colour and texture, in all seasons. Now it's especially beautiful, with purple tops and little blooms scattered around.

For the girls the idea was to play in the grassy area, and for the boys we first stayed on the rocks by the sea, and then we moved to a different place with grass, a little trail and an old wall. Even outside in a natural place, you often have something that's better to avoid in the photos - we had an ugly wall by the sea, a road with some joggers and cars and a trailer parked nearby. So I was paying attention that the 'bad' spots were always behind me, even with games and children moving at least this problem was eliminated.

With girls we started with some hide and seek game, and hiding little toys in the grass for them to look for - it helped them to relax, and gave me time to observe their personalities and interactions, what I should pay attention to and which things/moments could lead to nice photographs. This part was barely photographed, but it lasted just few minutes. Then we did different games and things - tickling with grass, hiding in the grass and jumping at the parents, 'statues' game which with holding hands, we also asked them to tell secrets to each other. There were lots of giggles, big smiles and laughter. I took variety of photos of the girls playing, and also some portraits of each of them separately. The best portraits happened during those quiet 'in between' moments, when they were not even aware of me photographing them.

With the boys we first started on the rocks by the sea - after brief consultation with parents that the area is safe for their younger boy who is only 2. Boys started climbing, collecting pebbles and playing with them, exploring, so we did not need to invent anything. Things just worked - they played, and I moved around to capture different moments. Then we moved to a new spot with grass, old wall and a little trail. Boys were already in full-play outside mode - so things just went on with running and a bit of rolling in the grass, tickling, and more running.

Here's a little behind the scenes video, and more photos.