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Jill peeped at me warily from behind her
mother's skirt which she clutched tightly in her small hand.
Oversensitive, this little girl was motivated by fear and suspicion and
took refuge in sulkiness. This is also often the result of an
inferiority complex.
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The main temperamental types are the
introvert, like Jill, who lived within herself, and the extrovert who
tends to show off or become aggressive. The results of inferiority
complex vary according to the temperament of the child. The introvert
creeps further into his or her shell, becomes morose, sullen and
anxious. The extrovert tends towards boasting, antisocial or neurotic
behavior. This child may do and say things with the sole object of
attracting attention to himself.
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Jill's main desire is to go unnoticed.
She feels that if she keeps quiet or hides she will not get hurt. There
is no easy way to win her cooperation; it requires a long, patient,
quiet struggle. It sometimes helps to leave her in the studio with her
mother for a while. If her mother introduces her to some toys and
novelties you have left with her for the purpose, when you peep in a
little later she may have thawed in your absence. In extreme cases of
this kind I sometimes set up my lights, leave a small stool on which I
hope the child will sit later, focus my camera on the stool allowing
some space round it and place another stool beside the camera. I
quietly explain to the mother that I am going out and that she can help
me by first playing with the child and quietly getting her onto the
stool, ostensibly to play with a ball, then sitting on the stool beside
the camera and continuing to amuse the kiddy with glove puppets or
anything that catches her interest. My studio is so designed that I can
be seen by the child to depart through the door, but can enter unseen
later by another door and can observe her in a cunningly positioned
mirror. I can also operate my camera from this vantage point by means
of a release several yards long which I have previously fitted.
Although I prefer only to use this method as a last resort, there have
been occasions when, with the help of a cooperative mother, we have
obtained pictures that could not have been taken any other way.
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I have noticed that a carry-cot
represents security to some young babies of a cautious nature and that
they often show signs of anxiety when lifted out in the studio. In such
cases it is a good idea to take some shots of the baby in the cot. Some
good pictures can he had like this and baby will feel safe. Quite
possibly, after the kiddy has weighed you up from the familiar and
secure comfort of his cot, he will allow you to lift him out for some
different pictures later and all will be well.
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