Most photographers will tell you that their children suffer from PCS. Photographer’s Child Syndrome. I have clients often say, “You must have so many photographs of your children in your home!” Well, I do, but they aren’t always created with a willing subject. My kids are generally unimpressed with me and my camera. They roll their eyes when they see me popping a new memory card in the camera and pulling clothes out of their closet. They are sweethearts though, and they usually indulge my portrait craving anyway. And I must admit to an occasional bribe.

My middle son, Stephen, turned 6 this summer. During our vacation in the Outer Banks, I casually suggested to him that we do some of his birthday portraits on the beach. He actually agreed! He asked if he could wear his orange football shirt, and though it is a bit too big and certainly a violation of all my normal portrait clothing suggestions, I agreed. Hey, at least it highlighted his hair well! I was just so happy that he was willing to pose for me that letting him choose the clothes seemed like a worthy compromise. So I grabbed my camera and we scurried down to the beach before his mood changed.

After we’d wrapped up our mini-shoot, I ran into my husband and my oldest son on the dune walk on our way back inside. Chris told me that Matthew was feeling left out and wanted me to take some pictures of him, too. I looked at Matthew, who had changed his clothes and washed his face. He said, “I picked out a solid blue shirt, Mommy. That will be good for pictures, right?” Oh, how my heart melted! Chris smiled at me in a way that silently let me know this was all Matthew’s idea. How I love that child! So Stephen headed back to the house with his daddy, and Matthew came with me for his own portrait session.

Photographer’s Child Syndrome is cured! At least for a while.