How to photograph a five year old without her noticing

My niece turns six in a few months, and she's at that age where she is starting to be more self-conscious in front of the camera. She'll look at me and make a face, and while that can occasionally make for a good photo, I prefer to capture natural interactions and expressions, which I now have to work a little harder for.

Not that much harder though! Bubbles have long been a photographer's friend, not only because they engage and distract, but because they look good on camera too. This weekend was no exception - given a bottle of bubbles, my niece became completely focused on the task she set herself of trying to catch and combine three bubbles at once and she seemed completely unaware that I was clicking away about three feet away from her!

Isn't she beautiful?

nyc baby, child and family photographer & architect alethea cheng fitzpatrick is based in brooklyn. she specializes in baby photography as interior design & interior design for babies. view her portfolio of babies, children or families or send her an e-mail here!