A chalaka is much more than a haircutting ceremony --
it poignantly marks the transformation of the baby into the
boy. A lasting memory of this occasion for many families is
a "before" picture of their cherubic toddler, crowned by
that mass of curls that refuses to be tucked up under his
kipa.
Whether you'll be cutting your son's hair on Lag B'Omer or
anytime during the year, here are 10 do-it-yourself tips for
taking beautiful "before" pictures with your 35mm or point-
and-shoot camera:
1. Don't schedule the portrait session on the day of the
Chalaka. The parents are tense, the boy is confused, and
everyone is in a hurry to catch the van to Meiron, Kever
Shimon Hatzaddik or to get to the rov's house for a
ceremonial snip. Take out your camera the day before -- or
better yet, up to a week before. Everyone will be calm and
relaxed... and perhaps you'll even nudge a smile out of that
impish toddler.
2. Conduct the photo session in the morning hours.
Children are alert and cooperative in the morning, growing
tired in the afternoon, and rather droopy by evening.
3. Prepare a tasty bribe. This could be ice cream, a
piece of his birthday cake, a preview peckeleh from
those you intend to distribute, or any treat that will
motivate your son to spend up to 30 minutes of his day
posing for pictures. Give him the treat at the end of the
photo session, so his face and clothes will stay clean
throughout.
4. As in all child photography, shoot at the child's
level. This often means getting down on your knees in
order to look the boy straight in the eye, or elevating him
(on a chair, stone wall etc.). Holding the camera at adult
height and looking down, makes the child appear small and
frail.
5. Move in close. When you take a portrait, try to
get just his head and shoulders in your camera viewfinder.
For a full length pose, stand close enough to frame the
child's body with just a little bit of background all
around. If you allow too much of the background into your
photograph, you may include distracting lines and objects
which draw attention away from your subject, like: trees
"growing" out of his head, bookshelves bisecting his head or
neck, and extraneous objects littering the floor.
6. Give the child something to hold. It gives him a
sense of comfort as he stands all by himself on one side,
while the photographer and other family members stand on the
other side, urging him to smile. If he's dressed in play
clothes, he could hold a toy sefer Torah. In formal
dress, he can hold a siddur or chumash. For a
full length portrait, he could hold onto the back of a
chair.
7. For a very nervous or frightened child, here's a
trick used by professional studios. Stand the child on a
chair next to his mother -- for example, in front of the
seforim. The mother should wear a black blouse or
sweater, and embrace him with her arm low around his waist,
inclining her head away from him. Frame the child in your
camera lens from his head to just above his waist. The
mother will "disappear" as a dark shadow.
8. Take a lot of pictures, both indoors and outdoors.
When you take many pictures, you're guaranteed that some
will turn out just right. Photographing outdoors against
natural backdrops like trees, bushes and rocks will be more
relaxing for a toddler than standing him up against the
seforim and telling him to keep still. Try walking
the boy around to different outdoor locations and taking a
few pictures at each site to keep him from getting fidgety.
(As an incentive, you can stop off in the park for a few
turns on the slide!)
9. Photograph in play clothes as well as formal
dress. Your best close-ups will likely be taken when the
child feels most comfortable -- in his casual clothing.
After this casual portrait session, take a break for a
costume change, and then pose the boy in his three-piece
suit in front of the seforim. Alternate between close-
ups and full- length pictures to show off his new
tzitzis.
10. Make sure you get a snapshot of all that hair in the
back! An easy way to do this is with a profile portrait.
Ask the child to look up at something, like a family member
or a tree, and take the picture from the side. (As he looks
up, his curls will cascade down for the photo.)
May this milestone occasion be the frame for a lifetime
filled with Torah, mitzvos and maasim
tovim!
[Yonina Hall, professional photographer. For more
information, call 02-585-7535.]
