Please Smile for the Camera

My kids and husband strongly dislike having their picture taken, which drives me nuts because I like photographing them and it's no fun when I have such beautiful subjects who turn their heads or suddenly look pained as soon as the camera comes out.  It also makes me sad because I take these pictures knowing that we'll be thankful to have them to look back on someday.  Despite how difficult my family makes it on me, I tote my camera along and try to capture moments of our lives.  If I know ahead of time there's potential for a photo op, I preemptively make a plea for "just one nice family photo."  When asking nicely hasn't worked, I've resorted to threats of making everyone pose for pictures for as long as it takes to get one where everyone is looking at the camera with a normal-looking smile.  Not surprisingly, that often doesn't work either.

I don't know if I've just worn my husband down or he has come around to believing that documenting our family on camera is a gift everyone will appreciate years down the road, but recently he's been cooperating for photographs.  And he evens tries to wrangle the kids into compliance.

Oliver, we learned, responds well to bribes.  In this Mother's Day' photo, Chris told the kids they'd get a cookie if they smiled nicely in a photo with Mom.  Oliver immediately complied, but not even a cookie was going to get Soren to look at the camera, or even stand next to me.  Which is why I have that death grip on his hand...

More recently, I was visiting family back in New Jersey when I drove with the kids to the Jersey Shore for an afternoon.  When it was time to leave, I wanted just one picture of me with my boys after such a beautiful afternoon spent together on the beach.  A passerby on the boardwalk offered to take the picture and she tried coaxing Soren to look at the camera.  He refused and he pouted to drive his point home that he wanted no part of this mini photo session. 

Then I remembered the chocolates my grandmother had given me the day before to give to the kids.  Since they'd already had plenty of sweets that day, I tucked them in a pocket in my purse.  Barely breaking my smile, I whispered to Soren, "I'll give you a piece of chocolate if you smile."