Cowbright: Faces of the Children

A dear friend of mine often comments when I post photos of kids. She and her husband are the blessed parents of 2 beautiful (now grown) children from Korea. She has a very special place in her heart for Asian children, which shouldn't be a bit surprising. So Theresa, you inspired this blog and I so hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed putting it together!

darling twin boys at Pasar Baru - both sporting their newly purchased watches

I do love to photograph children, but it’s sometimes a little difficult because they are generally with their parents and I'm never quite sure what kind of response my asking to take a photograph will be met with. Being a very obvious “outsider” I would expect them to be somewhat distrustful of me, a total stranger, wanting to photograph their child. My guess is that most young parents in the US would definitely be wary! But even though I stick out like a sore thumb, most of the time if I make eye contact and smile, I can win a smile in return. And more often than not, a parent will act flattered and give approval if they realize you think their child is cute and want to photograph them. In fact, the mother of the twins above actually said “terima kasih” (thank you) after I snapped the photo above. She didn’t ask me to send her a copy or anything; she just thanked me for taking a photo of her adorable boys!

shy guy (keeping an eye on me while dad purchases a t-shirt)

stranger danger

But no matter where you are, it’s always a good policy to ask the parent for permission and that is what I usually do, unless I am lucky enough to find a group of children playing (no parents around) in which case I only have to ask the kids themselves. Children are fun to photograph because they typically don’t get self conscious or try to pose or do anything except whatever they’re already doing. Most of the time it’s pretty easy to read their expressions and they will often look right at me (or my camera) because they are naturally curious. And children and adults alike love the instant feedback of seeing themselves on the back of my camera.

shy girl waits patiently while her mother makes a fabric purchase

best friends forever

This morning we went to Pasar Baru (a huge market place) and while Ronnie was on a mission to find a particular item he was looking for, I waited outside the store on a busy sidewalk with my camera. Since I try not to be offensive, that means watching for the right opportunity to either “sneak” a photo without being noticed or actually get to ask permission. Most of the photos on this post were made at the market today but I’ll round it out with a few others that I hope I haven't posted before.