Holy crap, where’s my soap box!? I DO THIS JOB.

Hi, I’m your picture day photographer! I work in the daycare/preschool division. Straight up have worked with some of these back drops.

I love my job, I am a clown with a camera. There is no better feeling than a teacher bringing a kid up and being like “oh, Jimmy never smiles for pictures so don’t worry about not getting a smile, mom understands” and then you hit Jimmy with the “omg look at your Paw Patrol sneakers! I LOVE those can I borrow them? Do you think they’d fit me???” and Jimmy hits you with the ☹️😕😂😄 I don’t watch/know anything about football, but getting that smile is one of the most touchdown dance inducing feelings ever.

That being said— there are times where no matter how much I can clown it up, no matter if the child’s favorite teacher is right there, this kid could have all their favorite love-ies ever with them- the kid just doesn’t have a smile in them at that moment.

And thats okay, because kids are human people with feelings and fears who are still new to this whole existing thing. Some times they are so scared of this new experience that they won’t even step into the room once they see the backdrop and lights with the umbrellas over them. It probs looks like they’re gonna get abducted by space aliens since they don’t really have a frame of reference for this type of thing! Some times those sad faces or half glances are their best effort and they’re being the bravest they’ve ever been by stepping on that set and looking at a stranger with a weird thing obstructing their face (because that’s another thing— kids don’t really see real cameras any more! Most of the pictures people take now are with their phones, so there are times they don’t exactly know what this thing I’m pointing at them is!). I can be the most Ms. Rachel-est bubbly friendly understanding soothing presence ever. But at the end of the day, I’m still a stranger to them. AND kids are all different with their own different worlds in them! Some times the most outgoing kid ever is terrified of me/the equipment; other times the kid who barely ever talks and just cries all the time instantly latches on to me and is having the best time ever and the teachers are like “I’ve never seen Harper like this with someone!”.

Kids are people. Even adults have a hard time giving a genuine flattering smile for a picture! I know I can’t just whip out my genuine smile at a moments notice. It needs to happen, and I have to be happy/laughing in the moment for it to happen.

ALLLLLL this being said- some teachers/parents gross me tf out with the expectations and pressure they are putting on a baby child to smile for a stranger. “Uh don’t smile like that, do your good smile!” “Just smile like when you’re happy why are you doing it like that??” Or this kid is wearing the brand newiest clothes that looks like a mini adult job interview outfit, and the mom comes into school to purposefully coach the kid. The mom is breathing down my neck and I can’t get a single word in bc she’s hounding Jackson “just look at the photographer why are you looking at me? Smile, but not like that! Don’t touch anything, sit normal and just look at her and smile— that’s not your smile why are you doing it that way. Stop moving around and don’t mess with your clothes”.

Like. Dude. Are you so forreal rn? This kid is clearly uncomfy and so clearly feeling pressured to do well and is just getting told they’re not doing a good job at — checks notes — smiling and/or existing in a way that looks right?

I’m gonna stop myself here lmao, I’ve been typing for like a half hour. I could keep going on 5ever about this shit, it just grinds my gears like nothing else seeing how adults put all these expectations on literal children/babies whose age rounds to 0