So. I had Henry’s 2-year portraits done at JCPenney.
First, let’s review Henry’s personality. He’s a sturdy, climbing, copying-older-siblings kind of guy; cheery and stubborn; tackling people, flinging things, getting into things; getting angry and yelling when thwarted; leaping onto people and saying “MMMMmmmmmm!” as he cuddles into their bruised bodies. THIS kind of thing:
Here is what I was expecting the portrait studio problem to be: overabundance of exuberance; getting into things; refusing to stand still; running around; being loud; playing games where he turns around suddenly just as the camera clicks.
Here is what the problem in fact WAS: clinging to Mother with all his claws; using his feet to climb higher; face crumpling; whimpering, “No, no, no. I not like it, camera. No, no want it, pictures.”
After a few minutes of this, a guy photographer came in and started doing silly stuff. Henry appreciated the effort but declined to get out of my arms—even if I sat right next to him. Finally I asked the girl photographer, “What do you…DO…in situations like these?” and she indicated the guy photographer and said, “I call HIM!” I said, “So we’ve already used our emergency option?” and she said, “Yes!” We both laughed and groaned a little.
Then I asked if we could just…take the picture with him on my lap. I mean, it would look weird with a “parts of Mommy” background rather than the nice white one she’d chosen, but at least we’d HAVE a picture. It’s not like we’re shooting a national ad campaign here: if the lighting is nice and the facial expression is characteristic, the background can be weird.
Well, so that’s what we did. And she got some really good pictures, too, especially considering the circumstances. She even got one of the two of us together in an “on purpose” way instead of in an “oops, part of Mommy got in that shot” way.
That’s just how he was. See how his knee is up? He’s CLIMBING me. And I’m all pretending I don’t care about my hair.
As he got more comfy, she had me lean back a teensy bit, and she went in from a side angle and zoomed way in:
This is the one I considered his “main” picture. It’s not entirely characteristic (he’s holding his mouth and chin oddly), and part of my arm is in the background, but it had the elements I was looking for in a photo: the child is holding still and looking not entirely unpleasant.
I got some of this one, too: it’s sad, but it’s cute.
Too sad: look at the downturned mouth corners and the Anxiety Eyebrows.
This one I love a LOT, because it looks JUST like him. But it looks “JUST like him” if he’s “JUST been told that everyone but him is going to visit the zoo, have a picnic, and get ice cream cones afterward.”
I think this photo series has the potential to be GREAT fuel for Henry later. He can put it at the end of a line of laughing, happy Swistle children and say: “See? I am the fifth child and everything was harder for me. My life is SAD. It is HARD to be me.” … “Don’t you think I should get that ice cream now?”
Also, I have to say: how can he POSSIBLY be this old? Isn’t he a newborn?
I love sad/crying pictures! You have a great story to tell later. My daughter was always very pleasant and sat nicely for the photographer. My son, not so much. He is a year older than Henry and I am not looking forward to his picture taking appointment in a week and a half. Although, I id schedule it to have some taken with his sister too so maybe he will try to emulate her.
Oh my god these are funny. I love that he’s climbing you.
The Boy’s daycare takes pictures twice a year and when he was about 9 mos, they did a photo shoot — only I didn’t realize it. He was wearing a crappy shirt I hated and was sick sick sick and hated the photographer. It was like Henry’s no-ice-cream picture but with snot and tears. Best of all, it’s emblazoned on a free tote bag the school/photographer gave each parent.
I’m imagining his senior year yearbook…these will be great for that! (:-D
I love the pensive look and I like the one with you!!!!
I guess the first photo that you took will be the official photo of him. Well done you! (:-D
How on earth is that sweet baby two years old already!
Oh, how cute he is! My little guy (3 1/2, and how did that happen?) has the exact same haircut.
I once told the photographer that I just wanted some pictures where the child was looking pleasant, and she said, “Wow, you’re easy to please!”
Seriously, he CANNOT be two. But if he is, he’s so damn cute!
These are really sweet, even the sad ones. I love the pic of the two of you together- a great mommy and son moment.
Priceless!
oooh the gods did you a favor because that first pic with the two of you is PRICELESS. seriously, one of the cutest pictures I’ve ever seen.
Awwww! Cute kid – but the sad face just breaks my heart. I love your description of the last one. It got me giggling here at work. I’m sure everyone now thinks Callie has gone off her rocker.
My Munchkin had the same experience when she was about that age. We went to take Christmas pictures, and she would not let me go. I ended up being in the shot from chin down because she would have nothing to do with sitting on the podium alone. And you can see the tears in the corners of her eyes (even though it looks like she’s smiling – trust me, she wasn’t).
Aww, they ARE adorable pictures no matter what! He’s such a cute kid.
Bless his heart! He’s a gorgeous little boy, though. Not that you don’t know that.
I adore that first picture with the two of you. It is perfect.
I think the picture of the 2 of you together, is fodder for you as a future mother-in-law. “He was my baby then, and he is my baby now!”
SRSLY, love the pics…LUUURVE them. And how can he be 2 already??
Oh, he’s so cute! And so are you! That photo of you two together is just heartbreakingly adorable.
oh, i love them!! he is SO BIG. :-)
You guys look so great together. I think that first one is a winner, even if it wasn’t exactly intended to be shot that way! It’s adorable. Your smile is great, and he looks so cuddly and clingy, which is, in fact, how two year olds act a lot of the time, so it’s very representative of the age!
I totally love these–the expressions on his face are great even if they aren’t completely Henry-esque.
I am for sure all post partum-y but these made me cry, a little – especially the first one! I love that one!
These are adorable! What a cutie!!
Love the one of the two of you together, actually.
That last photo, the more you look at it, the more it feels like an “Aw… man.” sort of look on his face, lol. Just enough “slight” disappointment in that look.
I actually really like your shot of him – it’s much more real and alive and looks like a little boy instead of that poor, sad soul at the portrait studio.
Those pictures are so adorable.
The photos are great but the one of the two of you is priceless.
“no no no I no like it” is the saddest and cutest thing ever. Poor Henry!
He’s adorable even with the anxiety and sadness. You ended up getting some great ones!
Those are all cute. Sad kid pictures are fun to have because they do capture true emotion at that age. Of course we want cute, happy pictures too, but really, at this age, isn’t sad or pouty the norm?
Oh my GOSH I love them. I love them so much! And the story of him being afraid and clingy is even better than him sitting nicely and all-angel-child-like. Henry is just adorable. I am totally afraid to take Thomas in for “real” pictures because of this very situation. He’s way too used to me just following him around with the camera – what’s with all this SITTING STILL notion? A total foreign concept for him.
I love them all, but the one with you in it is just so completely great. Do you guys do those whole-family portraits ever? I don’t know why, but I’ve always liked them.
Cute photos. My son climbs me too to get comfort. The one of the two of you is nice too.
You look so pretty!!!!
My favorite one of him is the dinosaur one at the beginning. Raaahhhhhh!
OMG – so freaking cute! You’ll have a million “perfect” shots by the time he’s grown, but this is the one you’ll be remembering years from now.
I love all these pics!
Also? The caption about him CLIMBING you? Hilarious. I hadn’t totally noticed, until I read that and looked again. HA HA HAAA!
You just never know, right???
Love these pictures though – you’ll have such a strong memory with them.
My mom has a portrait of my little brother at around the same age that Henry is, where you can see the tear pooling in the bottom of his eye, ready to fall. It makes me cry every single time I see it. Which is not necessarily a bad thing – I love that picture.
Awwww, even sad he looks adorable! Pictures can be so frustrating!
They are PERFECT! You will always remember him this way. I have a shot of my son, all sad, scared and grumpy about the age of three, at his sister’s pre-school getting a shot like the “big kids” (all of age four). Then his buddy came into the room, and he suddenly smiled a shy smile. The photographer gave me both. The frowning scared kid and the one with the shy smile. We like to think of them as the twins.
He is heart-breakingly handsome. He looks older than two in these pictures, but that’s probably the VERY serious expressions. All these are great photos, but I especially like the one of the two of you.
He is adorable even when he is sad. I actually have a picture of my daughter crying framed. It was the best I could get, with one single tear running down her cheek and her lips and chin looking all trembly. Kids portraits seem to be a crap shoot.
I love the climbing photo. Henry looks like he forgot he isn’t a teeny tiny baby anymore.
As do you, come to think of it.
So! Cute!
Which applies to both of you.
I didn’t read the other comments, but my position on this is, pictures capture kids the way they are in that moment. In my daughter’s one-year picture, she is drooling. In a later one, she was posed on her tummy and told to put her chin in her hands. This she did, but in the 10×13 that hung on our wall for a year, one side of her face is all scrunched up by her palm. My mom hated it but to me, it’s T-who-doesn’t-take-direction-from-photographers-well. I love that picture. You will always have a story to tell about this. Stories, even these, let kids know you were paying attention when they were growing up and if you can laugh about it later, it lets them know you love them even when they pout at the photographer’s. I think they’re adorable.
So BIG! Wasn’t he just born the other day??
AJ’s 2 year pictures were done at Sears, and he, too, FREAKED out and cried. We got 1 or 2 acceptable shots but I just LOVE those little tears in the pictures now. :)
I love portraits because you always get that side that you really hope never to see at home.
It’s just so raw and honest and adorable!
Awww…that “too sad” photo almost made me cry. What a little sweetie. The one of both of you is adorable, although he does look like he’s going to climb over your head and scramble out of the picture.
omg, my 19-month old has this exact personality, except you describe it SO much better than I ever could! And she climbs me when she’s anxious. And the throwing, oh, the throwing. The photos are just adorable. 1) They preserve a much more charming memory of him than some “perfect” omg-your-baby-should-be-in-magazines no-actually-it-was-just-a-great-photgrapher-she’s-not-that-cute photo could ever do, and 2) you took your FIFTH child all ALONE to have professionals capture the adorableness. You deserve brownies.
Thanks. I’m about to lose my job, and that last line cheered me up like you Wouldn’t Believe.
I actually really like the “climbing Mommy and yanking on her hair” shot because that is exactly why we haven’t attempted formal portraits again since last fall.
They’re all adorable, really.
WHAT?!?!
You’ve GOT to be kidding!!! Henry is NOT 2.
I was lead to your blog from Linda’s blog when she announced Henry’s arrival.
There is no way he’s 2. No friggen way.
Anyway, beautiful pics. I think they are great. They captured the day. That’s what matters.
Henry’s so cute! Cute baby! Want to munch his cheeks! (Will attempt not to gnaw on monitor).