Modern Kids Photography Blog presented by Sarah Wert » new york

family portrait session + ice cream, Central Park, Spring 2010 | modern family photographer, San Francisco + New York

Sarah — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:22:40 +0000

I had so much fun shooting in New York. I photographed a bunch of wonderful families (more images to come) and met with a soon-to-be associate photographer for Modern Kids. Her name is Kara and she is so utterly fantastic! A perfect match for our company. More on Kara soon…

Enjoy a quick sneak-peek from one of my sessions. It was a sweltering hot morning in Central Park we were forced to break for ice cream. Alex & Julianne (twins!) were so much fun. Thanks to their mom, Co-Founder of the incredibly awesome kids bag company, Beatrix NY, for the session. Enjoy!

Alex & Julianne buying ice cream, Central Park, NY, 2010

kids and construction, Sixx Design, New York | modern family photographer San Francisco bay area + New York

Sarah — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:10:03 +0000

Wow. I’m really enjoying reading about the family behind Sixx Design in NYC, found this morning via Liz Stanley. What amazing talent and style they have for making a modern home with kids. Anyone who can have seven kids and survive several house renovations is my hero. These people must be super-human or just incredibly awesome. Oh and they just published a book, buy it here.

I grabbed a few images from the recent New York Times article, click here to read it and listen to the audio slideshow, photography by Michael Weschler. I love that the home has a wonderful balance between the adult world and the world of kids and it’s full of lovely surprises (especially their lighting fixtures).

I would love to spend the day photographing those beautiful kids! Enjoy.

photography by Michael Weschler for the New York Times

Spring in New York, traveling sessions 2010 | modern family photographer, new york + san francisco

Sarah — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:58:18 +0000

I’m so excited to announce a shooting weekend in New York, April 30th, May 1st & 2nd. I’ll be shooting families, babies, and kids. There is a limited number of sessions available. All sessions will be shot at home or on location (fingers crossed for a beautiful weekend). I’m giving some extra special love to anyone who books before the end of the week! To reserve your spot simply send us an email or give us a call, see details below.

See you this Spring!

vogue family spread | from russia with love | inspiration

Sarah — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:36:16 +0000

I am very much inspired by these images by Francois Halard in this month’s issue of Vogue. Halard documents the home of Charles & Olya Thompson. Their home in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York in my opinion is so very elegant and magical. I love all of the historical elements of the home mixed with very bold contemporary works of art. On top of that I love the perfect amount of chaos that can only be introduced in the home by children. I was also struck by the gorgeous photo of Olya holding one of her children, photographed by her husband. That image alone made me want a studio big enough to shoot only Avedon-esque imagery for families in San Francisco…perhaps one day.

Did you see this article? Enjoy.

does your kid have what it takes to be a model? advice from a mom in the know | modern kids photographer, san francisco

Sarah — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:27:27 +0000

This past summer I traveled to the Philadelphia area for a few shoots. One of them happened to be a shoot for a handsome young guy named, Will Ironside. I really enjoyed photographing Will (and his just-as-handsome younger brother Zach) and was interested to hear more about his adventures as a model. Will’s mom Tiffany was really wonderful and told me all about their experience working with clients like J.Crew, Lowe’s, Macy’s, Boden, Kenneth Cole, and Cookie Magazine.

Quick side note: I am often ripping out images from magazines and stuffing them in an inspiration folder and after seeing Will’s portfolio I realized that I randomly had a shot of Will in my inspiration folder back in San Francisco – small world!

Fast forward several months and ironically I’ve been getting questions regarding kid modeling. I am no expert at all. I know of a few agencies in San Francisco and Los Angeles and I am actually shooting for one of them but I really have no idea how one gets a foot in the door at a modeling agency. Therefore, I decided it might be fun to ask Tiffany a few questions about Will’s experience as a model. I hope someone out there finds this helpful.

Thanks to Tiffany for taking the time to answer my questions and again to Will and Zach for a fun shoot this summer. A few of our images are below the q+a.

Any thoughts or questions for Tiffany?

p.s. Don’t you love Will in the Crewcuts shoot?

ModernKids (MK): How did Will get in to modeling? How long has he been doing it and how old was he when he started?
Tiffany Ironside (TI): Will started modeling at age 5. He has been doing it almost 2 years now.

MK: How did you guys get started? Were you approached by someone or did you seek it out yourself?
TI: I also do regional modeling and acting, and went to a local agency to give them my headshots/resumes. I gave them some photos a local photographer did of Will as well. They sent those to an agency in NYC (Generation) who liked his looked and asked us to come meet them. We went to NYC and met the owner of the agency who liked Will’s look and thought he took direction well. She took some additional photos on her digital camera and asked us to take some more outside at home. After taking a dozen or so, she chose the one she liked and asked us to make 50 copies (5×7’s).

MK: What type of companies does Will model for? How many shoots does he do in a year?
TI: Some companies Will has modeled for are J. Crew, Boden, Cookie Magazine, Lowe’s, Crayola, Boscov’s, Macy’s, Kenneth Cole and Brooks Brothers. I would estimate that in a year he does approximately 12-15 shoots.

MK: I know you live in Pennsylvania. How far do you travel for shoots? Is it mostly regional?
TI: We primarily shoot in NYC which is almost a 2 hour drive (1-way).

MK: Do you have any funny stories to tell about shoots with Will? What does Will think about modeling?
TI: Will really enjoys print work. He has also auditioned for several major motion pictures, and commercials but he actually prefers not speaking. One of his favorite times on a shoot was when the stylist gave him a mohawk (after the pictures were done, they had given him a pompadour for the actual shoot!) He also liked shooting one ad for Macy’s where he “had” to eat a popsicle during the shoot!

MK: How would you recommend a parent begin the process with a modeling agency? What do they need headshots, a referral, a basic interview, etc.?
TI: I would start with the local agency, who can then refer you to a larger NY agency if your child has potential. You can send photos directly to the NY agencies but it is better to have an “in”. At the local level, you really should be able to work with good digital photos you have taken, don’t let them talk you into expensive photographs or classes.

MK: Do you have any words of caution for parents?
TI: Be careful not to get talked into things (again, expensive pictures and classes) that really are not necessary if your child has a good look and the ability to take direction. Also, don’t be offended if your child isn’t chosen for something…it often is not about your child it is more about what specifically they are or are not looking for (ie. height, eye color, hair length, etc.)

MK: Do kids need to have a certain personality type to do modeling?
TI: Clients and photographers seem to prefer kids who are well behaved. A “bigger” personality seems to work better for TV/Film. Patience is also an important trait to have because shoots can be very long. Bring lots of toys/things to do/read/etc. (Nintendo DS’s are a staple).

MK: …and the question everyone wants to know: Have you met any crazy parents? You don’t have to answer that.
TI: Strangely enough, and to my suprise, most (I would venture to say 90%) of the parents I have met at shoots are very friendly, helpful and engaging.

MK: Any other thoughts or suggestions for other parents?
TI: The industry is strange in one respect: when it rains it pours. In other words Will can go for months with zero calls, and all of the sudden he will book something and have to turn something else down on that same day! They also seem to have the uncanny ability to know the absolute worst times in my schedule to call. Be prepared to have to go to a go-see with VERY little notice. Same day is not uncommon. Also, you can be put “on hold” for a week, which basically means you need to be available that whole week and they may or may not end up using you (again, you might find out at 5 pm that you are booked the next morning at 9 am). Flexibility is key, and certainly something I am still working on. If you have other children, it is a definate juggling act. Having said all that, it is a rush. The food is usually excellent and depending on the job it can be quite lucrative as well (although some jobs don’t pay as much as you think). On average, children make about $100/hour for print work.

Thanks again, Tiffany!

hazel + feliz | leaving california | modern kids photography, san francisco, oakland, east bay

Sarah — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 06:34:18 +0000

A few weeks ago I posted a sneak peek of Hazel + Felix’s session in the East Bay (you can see that post here). I’m finally posting my favorites from their shoot as well as their slideshow.

You might recall that Hazel had a bad cold on the day of the shoot. We were unable to reschedule because Mary, Marshall, and the kids were about to embark on a gigantic move across the country to New York. On top of that we had a somewhat condensed shoot and dad could only join us towards the end. The deck was stacked against us be we made the best of it.

I felt terrible for little Hazel and really didn’t want to force her through a session. But with a little nudging and a (sweet) bribe, she was willing to participate. I dare wonder what we would have achieved on a normal day for her. She’s such a gorgeous little girl with an incredible array of expressions. On this particular day, she had a mix of serious frowns, thoughtful expressions, tiny little smiles here and there, and a touch of vulnerability because she really just wanted to be in bed. To say the least, she suffered through the shoot like a champ. Bravo, little Hazel.

All that and I haven’t even mentioned her tiny brother, Felix. Seriously, have you seen cheeks on a little guy cuter than this? I’m pretty sure he’s one of the most adorable 6 month olds in existence and hands down he has one of my favorite smiles of 2009.

Thanks to Mary, Marshall, Hazel, and Felix for the enjoyable afternoon shoot. I wish you many happy adventures in New York! Please don’t be strangers!

[don't forget the slideshow, it's at the bottom of this post]