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Your friendliness is communicated to a
child by visual and oral means. The very young baby is hardly aware of
you, being first attracted by bright lights and later by colors and
sounds. Your first conversation with him consists mainly of squeaks and
finger-snapping, but, when you talk to him he will recognize warmth and
sincerity in your voice long before he understands the meanings of the
words.
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Certain sights and sounds induce many
babies to smile at about the age of one month. This is the beginning of
a sense of humor which is later developed by means of play. He begins
to understand the expressions on your face. Experiments have been
carried out with 'smiling' masks and `crying' masks. If you don a
'smiling' mask and look at a baby he will often return the smile. But
the 'crying' mask only makes him anxious. It is wise to remember that a
child will often reflect your own expression.
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Sometimes when I have been photographing
a child laughing, I have deliberately assumed a serious expression and
changed the child's mood.
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Even when the child begins to understand
the meaning of words, the manner in which they are said is far more
important than the actual meaning. I have found that when I have
photographed a Chinese or a German or a Scandinavian child who has not
understood one word of English, it has only been necessary to employ
the same methods and say the same things that I would have said to an
English child. The response has been exactly the same. My feelings have
been conveyed entirely by tone of voice. It is possible to say to a
child 'You naughty boy' in such a way that will make him chuckle with
glee. But by changing the voice inflection the same words can reduce a
sensitive child to tears.
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I never underestimate the intelligence of
children or talk 'down' to them. Even the volume of your speaking voice
is important. While one child may shy away from you if you speak above
a whisper, another might positively revel in noise and may not even be
aware of you until you raise your voice. With experience you grow
sensitive to subtle indications of the kind of child you are dealing
with, so that you can make adjustments in your approach to fit the mood
and personality of the child.
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A two-year-old bundle of suspicion can
often be best approached indirectly. Thinking aloud or talking to a
puppet will often convey your meaning without increasing alarm. It is
sometimes said that 'little children have big ears', and take care that
things are not said, to parents perhaps, but in the child's hearing,
that could be misinterpreted. Little Jane's mother was concerned about
a scratch on her little girl's nose, which she thought would spoil the
photographs. I reassured her: 'A little re-touching will put that
right.' Jane burst into tears and when pressed to give the reason,
eventually sobbed, 'I don't want my nose touched.'
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Conversation with a toddler should
usually be a continuous cheerful chatter. But amongst all the questions
about ages and names and favorite toys and prettiest clothes, between
the guessing games and pretending to be frightened by Sooty, slip in
advance notice of any adjustments to lights or camera. For although
most children find these bits of equipment the most fascinating things
in your studio, it is possible that a nervous child may be disturbed by
you handling them, and might even associate them with not dissimilar
apparatus in hospital. It is safest not to make any sudden moves or
noises. Approach the nervous child almost as you would a frightened
fawn.
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The schoolchild has passed through his
cautious phases and gained self- assurance, as a rule. It is often
better to have him in the studio on his own. The presence of parents
might inhibit or embarrass him, but by himself, with a little
prompting, his talk will be 'like a stream which runs with rapid
changes from rocks to roses'. In his short life he will have
accumulated knowledge of an astonishing number of topics. Ask him about
his favorite television show, about pets, sport, school (with disarming
honesty he is liable to tell you he likes playtime best, or 'going
home'). Ask him about his holidays and what he wants to be when he
grows up. I have had many an interesting conversation with a
five-year-old. But do not offend him by talking 'baby-talk' or by
playing a game that is below his intellectual level.
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