Red Deer Kids Photography- Avlyn

How difficult is it to photograph your own kids?

Turns out… very difficult.

But a stunning niece? Not so hard.

This is Avlyn. She’s nine years old and the definition of a sweetheart. Seriously. She’s also my only niece. Yup- out of 6 grandkids, only 2 are girls. One is mine, and like I mentioned before, photographing your own kids can prove to be a challenge, so I take photos of Avy. (It helps that she’s a little stunner.)

Being a children’s photographer, I get all sorts of personalities in front of my camera… the shy ones, the posers, the runners, and the cheesy smilers. I’ve learned, over the past few years, that in order to get the most authentic photos of them, I have to let them be themselves. If they are silly, I have to be silly too. If they are shy, I take a quieter approach. If they are runners, I better be wearing good shoes.

Avlyn was simply, Avlyn. Super sweet, quiet, but when she had an idea, she spoke it. She had ideas for locations and outfits and poses (you can see some of her ideas below- and she loves contortionists and acrobatics!)… and as much as I had ideas in my head, I listened and followed along, allowing her to express herself, which made her more comfortable. When kids (or anyone, really) are comfortable, they let their guard down, and that’s when I can capture them at their best.