A Kid's Eye View

Early in my career, one of my mentors, the great Richard Shay, told me that when photographing children, try getting down to their level. As adults, we're generally looking down at kids from our perspective, and not only do we risk the impression that an image will belittle a child, but it's just not as interesting as trying to see the world through their eyes. I've taken this philosophy to heart when I am hired to photograph children, and while I may burn through the knees of my pants at a frustrating rate, I feel that the images are well worth the efforts. I want to make images that express the innocent, creative, genuine, and curious world that children thrive in, so I love taking my camera down to the "child's eye" view and explore with them to create imagery that isn't just a "say cheese" phony smile, but a childhood moment captured through a lens as close as I can get to their view of the world.