I was doing some portrait work for some local friends/clients (they’re getting holiday pictures done) a few years ago and it involved both group and individual shots. The group was two parents, their dogs, and a couple kids ages ranging from 13-18. Group shots were done and we segued into the individual shots. The plan was to have the kids go first in order of youngest to oldest (attention and interest in participating drops exponentially the younger you get…)
So, out comes the 13 year old in her holiday outfit and we start doing a couple different posed sequences. Then, to keep the mood light and fun, I said “Let’s do a few silly shots…make some goofy faces and just have a little fun” Next thing I know this 13-year old is trying to strike this seductive-like pose – hand on hip, chest thrust out, head back and her tongue just waggling out of her mouth. I stopped the shoot and asked the parents to step in.
They were all laughing and I said that this wasn’t really all that funny – we all know what that kinda pose means, right? Is it funny for a 13y.o. to be suggesting she is into…uh…that? I think it started with Miley Cyrus when she got all slutty, and it went viral from there…and I didn’t want to produce photos of that nature. The parents looked at me rather shocked for a second, and said they were done and packed up to leave. I got paid the sitting fee for the session, but suffice to say, no prints were ordered or were any provided. They’ve also not been very reachable socially since. I’ve offended them on some level…by not letting their kids pose like this:
