Mother and child session: Tina + Kiera + Sean Lerin

I have a confession to make.

When I was about seven or eight years old, I fell madly in love with Robby Rosa of Menudo.  Like I knew what love exactly felt like back then.  I based it on how I hanged posters of Menudo on my bedroom wall.  How I bought every song hits of them on the cover.  How I quarreled with my classmates because they liked Ricky Martin more than they did Robby.  How I sang Please Be Good to me with feelings. How I hid Robby’s cut out photo under my pillow because the Manang from the sari-sari store where I bought the song hits from told me that it is an effective way to make the man of your dreams think of you.

I believed her.

Crazy, right??

Meet Kiera.  This little girl loves Justin Bieber to bits.  When I photographed her I told her to smile for Bieber.  She told me that Justin is not really from here.  “Really, where is he from then?”  She didn’t really answer my question.  Cute!

When I photograph children, I let them be.  I don’t pose them and ask them not to move.  That’s like telling them to quit being children.  It takes time for them to warm up.  So, I usually talk to them first about things that interest them like Justin Bieber, favorite nail polish color, and make up. I let them do stuff that would consume their attention.  That way they won’t ever have the chance to think I’m there — a girl with a huge camera.  Haven’t you noticed that when children engage in activities they enjoy, they are more interactive and they try to show you how to do stuff their way.  Sometimes, they show off!!

And then you slowly become friends.  That’s the time the dynamic changes.

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Kristine Aldana Lerin.
Kiera Lerin
Sean Lerin