Jason Joseph Photography

As a photographer, I see things pretty differently than those who don’t spend most of their time looking through a viewfinder.  I find myself looking at ordinary, everyday scenes while composing and gauging light, even though I’m not within 5 miles of my camera.  I enjoy creating images and shaping light.  And I have made many beautiful photos this way.  But there are times when creating images simply doesn’t work.  Take photographing kids for example.  They are unpredictable, unique and often just do their own thing.  That’s what makes them so darn fun to photograph.  And even beyond just kids, take me photographing my own kids for example.  Over the years, there have been countless photo sessions with my children.  Some were very successful and produced many wonderful photos of them.  But then there are the ones that weren’t so successful.  And I would venture to guess that 90% of the unsuccessful sessions were the ones where I was attempting to pose them.  I had an image in my head and I tried to create that image by instructing my kids to stay in certain spots or sit in a specific manner.  And as my level of frustration continued to rise because they were goofing off and being silly, I was missing tons of cool and memorable shots.  The fact is, Kids Don’t Pose.  Period.  But that’s okay.  Because let’s face it, the natural personality of kids isn’t going to shine through when they are asked to do something that they may not want to do.  And, in my opinion, the most important thing to capture when photographing kids is their personality.  It’s what makes them unique and special.  This isn’t to say that making that perfect smile, nice posture and looking right at the camera photo isn’t possible.  It’s to say that the manner in which that photograph is captured may not be the method of asking little Mary to sit up straight, give a big smile and look right into the camera, but rather a combination of good timing, proper positioning of yourself and simply being ready to release the shutter at the exact right time.  Many times a great portrait of a kid can come from a well composed candid photo.  (See Example 1)  And let’s face it, we all like to see these kinds of photos, but we also like to see the ones that are captured at the pinnacle of a moment because those are the ones that will carry someone’s personality forward to be looked back upon with a smile. (See Example 2)  Either way, since I have turned to this approach, my level of frustration has decreased while the quality of my photos has increased.  It’s a win win situation and lot more fun while also providing new challenges in photographic techniques that help ensure that your photo session produces the most favorable images that can be enjoyed for years.

Example 1

Example 2