Kids' Portrait Photographers

Of the many different types of photographers, kids' portrait photographers might rank among the most popular. They must bring a great deal of patience and artistic ability to the table.

Kids' portraits require a special tye of photographer that usually specializes in just this type of work. This can be a very demanding and rewarding. Demanding because it takes a great deal of skill and patience to put a child at ease and relaxed enough to produce an ideal portrait. Rewarding because people always want pictures of their children. Children have this strange habit of changing and growing and unlike adults; last year's pictures tend to be out of date.

Most professionals of this sort work in studios that seem as much like day care centers or nurseries as work areas. There are always cuddly toys around to put children at ease and bring out that special smile that makes a child's portrait so precious. The use of digital cameras and computer software has recently become an important part of the business. This enables the photographer to immediately show the images to the parents and close the sale of various portrait packages on the spot.

Like most of his or her peers, this professional relies on a portfolio of previous work to advertise their skill. Many begin their careers working as assistants in portrait studios developing the experience needed to be able to capture just the right image of the child.

Of the various photography fields, it is the one with the best growth potential in the coming years. Despite the wide spread use of digital cameras that have increased the competition in most areas of photography, portraits and specifically children's continue to be in demand. The demand continues to increase as the population increases. Most parents see a major difference between the thousands of casual snapshots they might take of their children and a production done at the studio.

One other aspect of the field is the school photo sessions. This is a major business opportunity and also a good place for an aspiring portrait photographer to get started. The chance to pose and take literally thousands of quick portraits of children is an excellent training opportunity. Photography can also be a subject of study at many colleges and Universities, but nothing replaces experience and artistic ability.