Oddly enough I take on extreme challenges in the photography business. One of the most difficult was a family session I had recently with a group of sweet children who couldn't understand english. I went into the shoot thinking the whole family could speak it but it turns out I was dead wrong. This made me more nervous than you could ever know. With crazy thoughts running through my head, I had no idea what to do or how to handle this shoot!

We met up at the Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City and Viridiana, the mother (my client) of one of the children did indeed speak english. So I assumed so did the kids. When we started laying out the props I tried to talk to Melanny (the little girl). She gave me a silly look and ran to her momma. I thought she was just being shy but really she couldn't understand a word I was saying and was probably laughing at me in her head. Needless to say I made sure to have Viridiana right by my side at all times to help me and guide the kiddos into poses. These kids were so sweet and the whole family made the experience enjoyable. Even though they couldn't understand a word I was saying they were constantly smiling and the kids were giving me the most adorable cheesy faces!

It was actually a lot of fun! I made a lot of hand gestures, funny faces, and even counted with them in their language to get their attention. I made sure to stay professional but tried to make it fun for the kids. My spanish only goes so far. You know... uno dos tres. Don't laugh! I can count to ten... Haha! Anyway, they played with bubbles while I captured the moment and then we moved around the gardens while I snapped photos. They turned out great and the family loved them! To me, that's all that matters!

Just look at how cute and happy these sweet kids were! If you are a photographer and haven't had this challenge yet, just remember to be kind and most of all confident in yourself to capture the best images you can for your client. Look on the bright side and stay positive! You've got this!

Your Friendly Photog,

Sammi Cavener