Below are a few of my favorite shots from a 1st communion shoot I did a couple of weeks ago.
I must say that I thoroughly enjoy working with children. It is fun to observe them just being. When working with children I try to extract their natural personality vs. posing them extensively. Many times children will naturally land in a pose that with just a little coaching from you makes for a near perfect composition. The little girl featured in the images below was so sweet and such a joy to work with. She loved exploring the environment and I enjoyed chatting with her about what she saw, how she felt, etc. Letting children be themselves and letting them lead the way relaxes them and gains their trust and comfort with you enabling you to more successfully capture their true essence.
Little girls are especially fun to work with for first communion shoots because they are in their fancy dress, sometimes a veil, a headpiece, special jewelry, and they just feel like little princesses. It almost takes me back in time to when I got to twirl around in my dresses and feel like a princess.
The one thing I think it is important to stress is that one should never lose their style and artistic flair when photographing children or any subject. It is important to stay true to ones style and vision. After all, isn’t that why you were hired? It is important to satisfy your clients and ensure that you have the expected, traditional shots, for example the praying hands for a first communion, but once that is achieved, move to your work flow and capture your subject in the way you are most comfortable.
I used Topaz Labs for my black and white conversions and used vignettes or borders to create a more ethereal/vintage appeal.
Robyn Graham Photography 
