As a mom of 12 year olds, I know that capturing your teen’s every day and teen portraits can be challenging. As we embarked on the middle school years, I have discovered this first hand.
Today I am sharing my thoughts on why it’s hard (sometimes really hard) to capture your teens, but also why it is also essential that we keep trying. My hope is that post will encourage you that these years are beautiful, sacred and worth photographing.
Finally, over the next two months, I will be sharing several blog posts on teen portraits. A few of the topics include the importance of photographing your teen’s everyday life + how professional teen portraits can help you and them celebrate this stage of life.
Why photograph your teen girl or teen boy?
Photos are an important part of our lives. In fact, the act of stopping to document the occasion with a photograph is a key indicator as to which moments we feel are worth remembering.
A simple look through our family photo albums shows what we value most. It is a window into our souls and the moments we keep close to our heart. Births, the baby years, graduations and weddings top the list and will always be documented both personally and professionally. However, as a professional photographer and mom of middle school kids, I have noticed that many families stop taking pictures during the “middle years” (11-14). Those years between the end of elementary school and graduation. The years when we no longer attend class parties and field days but have not moved on to senior photos.
I’ve often wondered why we put our camera’s down in these transitional years and don’t invest in photos of this age. (A simple look at year over year photos and you will see how much your child is changing.) I think there are many reasons but the ones that come to mind first are the following.
Three Reasons Why We Don’t Photograph The Teen Years.
1. Teens want their space.
We try to honor this new phase of life by stepping away and not photographing their daily lives. I know my boys are currently going through a stage where they want their privacy. They put there hand up or make some awful face when I even try to take an iPhone shot. It makes me want to throw in the towel. I was lamenting about this the other day to moms of older kids (yes boys) and they told me that it was normal. It’s a phase but they encouraged me to keep photographing them when I can. Don’t give up because they will come around and will want to get in front of the camera sooner rather than later. I almost gave up entirely my 365 this year and moved on to photographing landscapes. So glad I didn’t!
However, I do have a hard and fast rule that nothing gets published on social media without their permission. They seem more agreeable to photos knowing they will not be posted anywhere that could embarrass them.
2. Sometimes they just don’t give us a lot to work with.
A teen’s day to day lives is no longer as cute and photographic as their childhood days. No superhero/princess costumes, pillow forts, jumping off the couch or snuggling with a stuffed animal. My boys now spend a lot of time on their phones or in a dark media room playing Xbox. These moments don’t make for great photographs but it does require me to work harder and pay close attention. Find the few in-between that are worth documenting. That goofy smile they give when they have played a joke on their brother or the bond shared between friends hanging out.
3. We don’t know how to photograph them authentically.
Teen portraits are hard because they don’t photograph as easily as they once did (IE crawling in dad’s lap at a family photo session). Do you photograph them as a kid or as an adult? I see so many families go for long stretches without family photos because they are waiting for braces to come off, acne to clear up, etc. These precious years go by undocumented except the 1000 selfies on the teen’s smartphones.
There is HOPE! Photographing your teens can be beautiful + fun!
Many photographers and parents aren’t quite sure how to capture this stage and the photos just seem forced. That is why I have taken on a new passion project of teen portraits to fill this gap and bring some joy to our teens!
My hope is to convince all of you parents of teens and tweens to embrace this beautiful stage of life and photograph the heck out of it! Capture the braces, the imperfections of these transitional years and all of the details that come with it. Invest in photos that capture the essence of your teen and all that makes them unique. You will be so glad that you did!
Finally, to encourage more creative inspiration, I am participating in a blog circle this month. Please hop on over to check out Aubrey Bahr Tampa Bay Birth Photographer and her birth video of a birth in the car. Yes . . . you read that right! It is so good and I had tears in my eyes as I watch it. What a wonderful treasure this family will have to preserve those memories.
SENIORS| TEENS| FAMILY | SCHOOLS
Shelly Niehaus Photography is a Prosper, TX-based senior and family photographer. I specialize in newborns, seniors, family, and school portrait photography in the Dallas Fort Worth area. I also offer adoption photography for local families through the Red Thread Organization and volunteer for The Gold Hope Project. For more information please contact me so we can start discussing your session.
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Love these images and especially the connections in the groups of friends!
Love these images and especially the connections in the friend ones!
It really is so important to document this stage in life! I think young girls get a little camera shy because they’re all transitioning into teenagers! But in reality, it’s the perfect time to capture them! Love your work so much!
I agree with every word! Beautiful images too!
These are so gorgeous!!! It is so important to photograph the teen years I so agree!! This was great information, thank you so much for sharing.
[…] and see photographers work from around the world. Next up is the talented Shelly Niehaus, she is a Dallas teen photographer and is talking today about the importance of photographing your […]