A Gift for Mother’s Birthday: Children’s portraits

Today I want to feature a photo session with four children in Berkel en Rodenrijs. You probably remember that I am always enthusiast when I learn that children’s photo shoot is meant to create a special gift for one’s partner or parents. With partners it also adds an element of surprise and is often kept secret. As a photographer I love that kind of projects!

Black and white portrait of a boy wearing boxing gloves

The photo session is planned when one of the parents is away for work or meeting friends (or something else is invented to keep them out of the house). Ideally, one does not know what is going on during their absence. Then we have the photo session at one’s home or outdoors and try to keep it secret. That surely adds an exciting element to the shoot.

When young kids are involved you always wonder whether they will leak information before the gift is presented. Surprisingly, the secret is usually safe with them!

Steven contacted me about a photo session to create a special gift for his wife’s birthday: a collection of beautiful wall portraits of their four children. I admire men who think of this kind of presents. It is a beautiful sign of love and it often brings fathers out of their comfort zone. For example, choosing the right clothes for the kids or doing their hair for a photo session is mostly managed by the mothers. Steven did all this perfectly and the children were well prepared. They also liked the idea!

It was a lot of fun for me to photograph these three brothers and a sister. Four very different personalities are great friends with each other and teamed up for a surprise very well.

Holding a photo session at one’s home has many advantages. One of them is that you can pick up unplanned accessories that add a layer of meaning to the photos. For example, little princess Julie borrowed her mother’s seashell necklace for some portraits, while sporty Pepijn got his father’s cool boxing gloves. Smart and sensitive Oliver posed wearing his daddy’s tie and holding a small vase of flowers. And Floris, the youngest brother, made my day when hi picked up a Batman mask from the shelf: if you look at its backside you would see it was actually a greeting card for his birthday!

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I enjoyed my time with this wonderful family, and I like how the photographs reveal the character of each of the children. I designed and printed a special birthday card with a preview of the photos, and then the parents could choose their favorite portraits for the wall together. That portrait group now adds another level of coziness to their home.

Thank you for the great time and for inspiration!