I decided that my Etsy store needed some real people wearing my knitted items. So, I arranged to take pictures of a cute little girl I knew, about two years old, in the neighborhood. It was quite an undertaking! Her mother and I tried for weeks to find just the right time between naps and grouchy times for her daughter. It seemed like whenever it was a good time for her, I was busy doing something I couldn't leave! Finally, the magical day arrived and our schedules meshed.
The moment I entered the house, this little girl decided I was there to take her away from her mother. Not only would she not let her mother put her down, she wouldn't even look at "the enemy," me! It took a good 45 minute to get her to warm up to me a little. It helped that her mother kept offering her food, but she accidentally spilled juice on one of my little sweaters.
I snapped dozens of pictures, hoping to catch the little girl's fleeting smiles. One frustrating thing was my camera. It took so long to save one picture and gear up to take the next one, I often missed out on the best smiles!
Fortunately, I did get some really cute pictures. I was encouraged enough to ask another mom, this one with 3 little girls, if I could use her kids as models.
This second photo op went much better. Two of the girls were a little older and the mom had promised them a nice treat (mini marshmallows)if they were well behaved and gave their best smiles. She also raved about the hats and sweaters as she put them on her girls. I spent probably an hour and a half there, taking pictures.
I'm still sorting through and editing the 170 pictures we took that day. Some of them turned out really cute, but others had a background without enough contrast, so I had to manipulate things a bit with a photo editing software.
Of course, there were a few items that didn't get modeled, so I'll probably find another model, or go back to a former one. I've learned that kids aren't easy or quick to photograph, but when they flash a good smile, it's really cute, and worth all the effort!
