tips for photographing young teenagers?

[Corey Thompson]

My fiance tutors a couple of pre-teenagers, a brother and a sister. They are in 7th and 8th grade. Their parents want me to photograph their kids really bad. I believe they are looking for a park type of setting with nothing too posed. They are quite well off and want to pay me for the photoshoot.

First, are there any tips or recommendations you can give me in regards to the actual photo shoot and equipment? What time of day would be best, a couple of hours before sunset? My experience with off camera lighting is minimal so should I stick to natural lighting for now? I'm shooting with a 40D, I have one Nikon SB-28 speedlight, and my lenses include an EF-S 10-22, 35mm f/2, 50mm f/1.4, and an EF-S-17-85. I was thinking about using the 35mm or the 50mm. What do you think?

Now, the problem is I don't really have experience photographing people and therefore question whether or not I should even accept money from them for doing this. I'd love to get experience taking pictures of people and kind of feel that the experience alone isn't something I can put a price on. I know there are opposing opinions that say once you set a cheap price or do something for free, then other people will come to expect the same from you.

Thoughts, opinions, and recommendations are very much appreciated.

[danielc118]

I would make it very clear that you haven't done much people photography, its a bit of an art to get right.

I don't feel right charging a person for something photography related, unless I KNOW 100% that I can deliver fantastic photos for them, that are what they want.

So I would do it for free, and make it clear that its a one off. The likelihood is that you will take some great photo's, they will show them to friends etc, and you might get more business, than if you charged them, didn't get very good photos and they badmouthed you to everyone.

[Corey Thompson]

I don't feel right charging a person for something photography related, unless I KNOW 100% that I can deliver fantastic photos for them, that are what they want.

That's exactly how I feel. I've been wanting to gain experience photographing people and this may be the perfect opportunity to start practicing. If I were to produce less than satisfactory results, I'd never feel right about taking their money.


So I would do it for free, and make it clear that its a one off. The likelihood is that you will take some great photo's, they will show them to friends etc, and you might get more business, than if you charged them, didn't get very good photos and they badmouthed you to everyone.

Good suggestion, thank you.

[suecassidy]

If you don't want the pressure of shooting for money, offer to waive your sitting fee and tell them you'll give them a free shot of the two of them together and they can purchase any other shots at your a la carte price, if they so choose. Then shoot them separate and together, full length and close up, so they have to buy more.
I see you are from Orange County, as I am, and kids here are sometimes ?????? different from east coast kids maybe? Tewinkle Park in Costa Mesa is an awesome location to shoot in, as it has giant boulders, footbridges, duck ponds, waterfalls -- all kinds of great natural backdrops. Do the kind of poses you might see in surf magazines, that don't require them to smile, just look ultra cool serious, wearing their favorite casual clothes. (you can even ask them to bring poses they like from looking in magazines...the girl probably will, the boy ???) Again, do them separate and apart. Serious and fun. Does the girl have a favorite purse and sunglasses? (This is Orange County....) A sassy shot of her with her Dior bag on her arm and sunglasses on her head perhaps. Does the boy skate board? A full length shot of him with his skate board resting against his leg and a full on attitude might be trite, but he'll like it. Or a close up with part of a guitar showing, if that is his thing. Once you get all the shots, do a great photo collage that you can charge a lot for and present it to them, along with the proofs of each shot.
I would outline your plan to the parents to gauge their reaction, because you don't want the expectations wrong, right out of the gate. If they are the type who expect the traditional denim- and -white-shirt shots, and insist on it, you can throw that in at the end maybe. yuck. most parents are realistic about just what their teenagers are willing to do though, and to document them as they TYPICALLY are will hopefully satisfy both them and the kids. It might be helpful to NOT have the parents watching your shoot, if it makes the kids self conscious. Give them bread to go feed the ducks or something.
I would also, right off the bat, tell the kids that you aren't going to make them do something lame for the photos. They don't have to smile if they don't want to, and any smiles you DO get, should be because you said something that made them smile spontaneously during the session. (This is more likely to be an issue for the boy, not the girl. Girls tend to love to smile if you tell them to.) Just remove that pressure, straight off. Also, ask them if they are going to want you to remove any "flaws" that you might see. Don't call them pimples. For a kid with acne, it might relax them to know that they will be removed afterwards.
When it is all said and done, you should just have fun with them. post pics afterwards.