Capture your child's day

By Mary Lou Aguirre
The Fresno Bee

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Hundreds of photos of our daughter are waiting to be placed into albums. We have the obligatory photos of the school field trip to a pumpkin patch, of Natalie proudly holding a certificate of achievement and of Christmas photos with Santa.

Lately, though, I have made it a point to capture those everyday moments at home: Natalie in her bedroom, doing homework in the living room and another of her — "can it be?" — READING in bed.

Clovis photographer Diane Tjerrild elevates everyday moments and turns them into glossy, custom coffee-table books. I found her Web site, www.booksbydiane.com, purely by chance and was captivated by the photographs of children doing ordinary things and making it all seem so special. It helps to have more than 20 years of experience behind a camera.

Tjerrild's interest in photography began when she was about 11. Her parents, Dee Dee Hall and Bill Tjerrild, were avid photographers.

"I grew up in my dad's darkroom, making our annual Christmas card photos in black-and-white, one at a time, for hours on end," she says. "Actually, I don't remember when photography wasn't a part of my life. Those cherished moments in the darkroom with my dad will always be a fond memory."

Five years ago, Diane, 47, began offering "A Day With -----" versions of those "Day in the Life" photography books to clients. She spends 24 hours in the family's home. Photos are taken from the moment the child wakes up in the morning until their bedtime. Diane's goal is to capture those unguarded moments in between. In other words: Life.

"The photos capture what the child (and the parent) are doing that day. It's not supposed to be planned," she says. "The kids get over my being there within an hour."

Her job starts the night before, spending the night at the client's home. Naturally, the child is told Diane will be taking photos. "You don't want a child to wake up and have a stranger hovering over them," she says.

She gets charming photos of morning-hair children rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Other photos capture children eating breakfast, playing outside or accompanying mom to the grocery store.

It's possible, Diane says, for parents to get a similar style photo book by using an online service such as www.shutterfly.com. Parents can easily do their own 24-hour photo shoot.

Here's are some photo tips from Diane:

Get down to the child's level. Don't shoot from above.

Take close-ups, and don't be afraid of filling the frame with the child's face.

Lighting is key. Look for natural northern light. It adds depth and enhances the photo.

Turn off the flash on digital cameras.

For portraits, dress children (and parents) in solid-colored clothes; no bold prints or logos.

No sugar for the kids. They will be too animated and won't be themselves.

Gallery-quality photo books aren't cheap. The glossy 10-by-10 book, representing 40 hours of Diane's time, costs $3,299. Additional 5-by-5 books are $379. And if your "child" is a four-legged pet, Diane will photograph 24 hours with Fido, too.

"Twenty-four hours is an exhausting day for me," she says. "I may be photographing the family's 2-year-old, 5-year-old and a baby. I'm going back and forth. The next day, all I want to do is sleep."