Sharing a Secret

I love to photograph children. Especially when I know the child's personality. That kind of insight prompts me to bring that out in a photo shoot.

This is my son's friend, Adam.  Adam is a gem.  A boy's boy, for sure.  But as you can see from the above photo, he isn't too comfortable in front of a camera.  Apparently not all kids are bribed from birth like my own??
Now, he was doing his best to cooperate.  His mom was along side me, begging him to not fake smile.  But when kids are told to smile, this is what happens.

Having an 8 year old boy of my own, I knew exactly what to do.

I pretended to smell something funny as I winced and yelled out, "Who farted?"

(Pardon my use of terms.  Use your own discression.  I had to do it.  :))
Of course, he busted up.  THIS is the shot I would frame and put in my house.  I love a good, whole hearted laugh photo with good catchlight in a child's eyes.  Makes my heart skip a beat, and he's not even mine...

This is the smile that resulted after he relaxed and closed his mouth a bit.  And this is the one that his Mama selected, simply because he has 3 sisters, and they're all posers, so it presented a more cohesive look.

So my secret?  Do the unexpected.  If you can't, enlist in the help of a parent or sibling if possible.  I may or may not own a fart machine (Dave and Busters), which I've used from time to time during photo shoots involving boys.  Crude?  Maybe.  I'm not sure I'd do that to a complete stranger.  But it sure beats torturing him and begging him to "SMILE!"

Enjoy your weekend!