Taking extraordinary portraits of adults can be challenging for any photographer, but doing the same for young children takes an artist with true patience and skill. Easily distracted, perpetually fidgety and often at the mercy of tempestuous emotions, kids can be a genuine trial for a portrait photographer. But the fact remains that we all want to have beautiful portraits of our children to enjoy now and in the coming years, so what can we do to make the process easier and snap great photos?

Photographer Jean Moss has been taking award-winning pictures for 25 years. Her specialty is taking thoughtful, emotional portraits and her work has been featured on the cover of Vanity Fair, in Nike commercials and on countless movie posters. Here she offers tips on taking great portrait photographs of children:

• The eyes.
  The main thing, says Moss, is to make sure that your kids have energy in their eyes. Dull lifeless eyes or a face without emotion will lead to a poor portrait.
  
• Shock value.
  The best way to get a response with boys is to shock them with a sudden or funny noise. Make a beeping sound or a fake belch, and you'll likely get a great laugh from the boys.
  
• Music.
  Girls respond better to music and are into fantasy, says Moss, so if you put on some tunes and get them dancing, you can get them animated enough to look great for the camera.
  
• Emotion.
  Portraits aren't just about getting a child to smile. Other emotional responses, like crying, can look great on film, and Moss has found that some of her crying baby shots are better than the laughing ones. A portrait is basically a stolen emotion, so any response is better than none at all.

For more information on photography and portraits, check out the following organizations or websites:

Tips for Portrait Photography
http://stnphotography.com

Living Pictures: Portrait Photography Tips
www.livingpictures.com

Taking Portraits
http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu

Photography Tips
http://photographytips.com

Fodors: Focus on Photography
www.fodors.com

Kodak
www.kodak.com

Next: What's In a Portrait?