Photographing teenage girls - pose ideas etc???

[Scatterbrain]

I've been asked if I'll photograph the daughters of someone I know. They are all girls & aged 10-14.

Now I've photographed babies & have some good experience of pre-schoolers (ie up to 5), but once they get older than that I don't know. The mum said she didn't think they would be interested in mucking around in a wood (which was my 1st idea), so I guess we'll be going for something more formal & traditional. I have a black backdrop & studio lights so I'll use those.

So...

- How do you motivate 10-14 year old girls (can they still be bribed with sweets )
- Do you have any pose suggestions?
- How can you make posed sessions look less 'posed'?

I think it's a difficult age & one I have little experience of. I'm guessing the mum will want them to look all childish, loving & sweet, but the girls will want something more glamourous (?).

Any thoughts or advice for photographing girls of this age?

Scatterbrain

[FLPhotonut]

Hi Scatterbrain,

Since they aren't little children, I would try to make it more fun for them by involving them in the pose selection - find out what poses they like. When I used to photograph my niece, I would get a few magazines like "Teen Beat" that have lots of photos of young teens in them, then we could go through it together. If they have hobbies or are into sports, ask them to bring some props. Also add a few "traditional" type poses that Mom might want. I hope this helps....

[case]

you may not want to bribe them with sweets, since most girls this age are concerned about looking fat regardless of their weight try to get natural looking shots by interacting with the girls during the shoot. talk to them, ask them questions about hobbies, etc. (which could lead to new pose ideas), reassure them the shots are looking great, make them laugh. being comfortable and confident yourself will rub off on them. also, if you can get them to just be goofy and interact with each other instead of waiting for you to pose every limb, chances are they will come up with some great poses on their own. plus you can sneak some funny candid shots.