…have staged a walk-out. I always have a voice in my head that speaks for the assumed audience of this blog. That voice, recently, has been asking where my kids are. “We miss their cute faces!” This voice may not exist in real life, but in my head it does and it is to this voice that I write this post.
My oldest daughter only wants her picture taken when she’s wearing underwear or lipstick, or usually a combination of the two and “eye” makeup. And when she’s wearing her “camera look,” she wants to pose, and not like a normal “child” pose. And my littlest one, who really doesn’t look little anymore, has decided to look confused and put her fingers in her mouth whenever I point the camera at her. It’s like she’s saying in her pictures, “Mommy. Again? You haven’t figured out I don’t want that thing in my face yet?”
I do get pictures of them that work “offline” but online where their future employers may be able to hypothetical “find” them? Eh, not so much.
I knew this when I decided to take my camera to the park yesterday with the purpose of taking pictures of my girls in action. But I was optimistic.
But they wouldn’t tolerate it. “No. Mommy. It’s too much!” said my oldest when I tried to get in close, which is necessary when you only have a prime lens.
To this I replied, “What’s too much?” “It’s too much pictures. Stop!!”
So, I took pictures of inanimate objects like leaves instead.
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So, hopefully, one day soon they’ll be back. 
In the meantime, my new models have been great to work with.
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Do your children cooperate for pictures? How? And would they be willing to talk to my children?
About Jessica Jessica (@jessicafhinton)
Jessica F. Hinton is a writer, blogger, and hobbyist photographer living in the DC metropolitan area with her husband and two children. Her writings have appeared in various places on- and off-line, such as The Huffington Post, Babble, BlogHer, The African American Review, Early Mama, Tots 2 Tweens, and Baltimore's Child. She is a senior editor at Baby Gizmo and writes unedited at her other blog, http://shortlittlebits.com.
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
Hahaha!! My kids totally ignore the camera now. Probably because it’s attached to me all the time
I especially love that last photo…so gorgeous!
Thank you! That’s great that they ignore it! I’m hoping that my girls go back to their old ways and do the same!
My son doesn’t cooperate but I get the best pictures when he is preoccupied and I start to snap. My daughter though all she wants to do is make goofy faces she does not act natural but loves to get her picture taken.
That’s great! I find that I can taken pictures of them from behind when they’re preoccupied. But as soon as I get in front of them, that’s when we have problems. It’s a work in progress. I’m going to try LaShawn’s tips and shoot while talking to them. I hope that will work!
Fortunately my boys don’t mind the camera.
However, the baby keeps trying to eat my phone, which makes it a little hard to take good pictures.
You are very lucky! It’s funny because there was a time when girls didn’t mind the camera either. Now, however, it seems things have changed. Babies love to eat phones, so if my littlest isn’t looking confused, eating the thing in her face is her next train of thought!! lol.
Well, you probably know my trick for getting the kids to cooperate. And if you don’t just look up potty talk on my blog. You probably don’t want my kids talking to your kids about it though, lol.
lol. I just read your post!!! I love it!! I’m going to give it a try the next time I take pictures of my oldest. I’ll be sure to let you know how everything turns out!
My daughter refuses to look at the camera. She will look all around and will even smile but i have to catch her off guard if I want one with her looking at me. My son on the other hand is a ham! I just ordered a T3i so they better get ready….the shutterbug is back!
lol. I love it! Your children are like mine then! My oldest is the ham and my youngest looks away or just looks confused. *sigh. We’re working on it.
At least your new models don’t talk back, right?
I can’t get a photo of my boys naturally anymore. When I pull out the camera they immediately turn, huge grins, and yell “CHEESE!”. Um, cute, but it kind of takes the natural element out of photography.
lol. I know!
That’s how my oldest is! I’m working on being more sneaky because, like your boys, she is just way to aware of the camera and think she has to perform when I take it out!
Pookah is so used to my camera that child just acts like it isn’t there. If I catch a smile, it’s just because I’m ready for it, waiting. He will pose occasionally though if I ask. But I think because I don’t ask, just have a conversation with him while pointing my camera at him, it works. He thinks it’s normal. And get a good zoom. It’s amazing when you go to the park!
That’s good that Pookah is so great around the camera! My girls should be great around the camera since it’s been in their lives for so long, but I think now they’ve tired of it. Or, maybe “tired” isn’t the right word. Usually they want to use it to take pictures and if they can’t get it they’re like “Well, you can’t take my picture then. Hmph.” lol. I’ll have to invest in a zoom lens. Which one do you have?
My son is also sick of my continuous photo taking. Now he does these silly poses and faces…which I will use to my advantage when he is older
My kids hate my camera. They run whenever I pick it up. Or they make weird faces.
Or they run.. Sigh.
lol. Really? They seem to do so well in front of the camera in the pictures that you show on your blog!
My boy does *not* like to be in pictures. He used to make really bad faces on purpose but now he’ll just stick his hand or foot up to block the camera. I read a post not too long ago by Lisa Belkin on Huffington Post where she said that now that her son is in college she looks back and realizes she has *no* photographs of his teen years (because he hated being on camera). Somehow we have to figure out a way to sneak those photos in!
Beautiful photos by the way! I don’t know how I am missing these posts… I need to check my subscription settings!
lol. Your son sounds like me as a teenager. I hated having my picture taken. Then, or at least for me, it was because I hated the way I looked. But now that I look back on the few pictures I do have, I love the way I looked. I wish I would have known that how I felt about myself as a teenager would fade and that one day I would yearn for more pictures! So, yes, you’re right. We, as parents, do need to sneak those pictures in because our children really don’t know any better!
Thank you! Yeah. My sister said she wasn’t getting my new posts either. Let me know what you find when you check your settings. Maybe I need to change something.
My son is the one who refuses to pose. In fact, when i ask him to say cheese – he turns his face away from the camera and says it. The girl? Loves to pose. Sass and all. I hope she never loses that
Oh, well at least you have one child cooperating!! I love the pictures of both your kids, but, yeah, I can definitely tell that your little girl loves the camera!
these pictures are awesome girl. very artsy fartsy gallery-ish. love them! my kids are on strike. i say blah whatever. you’ll regret it when you’re older and you have to show ‘em to whoever you’re dating. or even worse, i pull out the albums and show ‘em when i meet your boy/girl friend for the first time. payback!
lol. That’s hilarious, but so, so true!! You’re one smart mama!
Thank you, Vanita! (re: pictures)
My son usually cooperates but he can be such so bossy sometimes! LOL I just tell him that his grandparents really want to see him and that they will save the photo on their phone. gets him every time.
Aww. That’s so sweet that he cares about creating a good picture for his grandparents! I wish my girls would care. I think once the picture is taken, they care. But in the moment, eh, not so much. But we’re working on it.
Ha!! My son went through his phase of no pictures now he’s kinda loving the camera. My daughter not so much. She has nerve though. She’s only 5 months. How does she know she doesn’t like pictures? Pfft!
I like the picture of your daughter’s hand for what it’s worth. Even if that’s all she’ll let you get. heehee
lol. Oh, that bit about your five month old made me laugh!! Kids can be so funny. I’m hoping that this is just a phase they’re going through and that it will end soon! Thanks (re:the hand shot)!