Episode 42
This week, Tessa is joined by Ian Boddy for a practical, experience-led conversation about working with children in commercial and editorial photography. With years behind the camera and a body of work spanning leading children’s and fashion brands, including Versace, Zara, Marks & Spencer, Puma and major editorial commissions, Ian shares insight into what responsible practice looks like on set and the role photographers play in shaping a child’s experience of a shoot.
The discussion explores how photographing children has changed over time, the importance of trust, communication and preparation, and the judgment calls required when balancing creative and commercial demands with a child’s wellbeing. Ian reflects on working alongside agencies, parents and production teams, why children cannot be treated as small adults, and how the environment created on set directly impacts both the child and the final images.
The episode offers a clear, grounded look at the realities of photographing children and the responsibility that sits behind the camera when the job is done properly.
Ian Boddy on Working with Children in Commercial Photography
Interview by Tessa Dewing for The Business of Modelling Podcast
Ian Boddy is a commercial and editorial photographer known for his work with children and young people in advertising and fashion campaigns. Over the course of his career, he has developed an approach that combines strong technical preparation with a calm, people-focused way of working on set.
In this episode, Ian reflects on how he found his way into photography, the realities of photographing children in a commercial environment and why, the job is often more about people than cameras. As he puts it, “half this business is not about taking pictures. It’s about how to deal with people.”
Developing an Approach to Photographing Children
Ian’s route into photography was not a conventional one. He left school at sixteen and spent several years doing different jobs before deciding he needed to change direction. “I was super aimless when I was younger,” he says. “Just drifting through and not really thinking about what I was going to do.”
After writing to several studios asking for work, he eventually found a role assisting a photographer, which gave him his first real experience of studio photography. “The beauty of assisting is that you learn what to do, but also what not to do,” he explains, particularly when it comes to managing people and running a set.
The Realities of Working on Set
Early in his career he was shooting women’s fashion before being given a commercial job involving children. “I did a job that was a week of kids and thought, well, that was good,” he says. “It was challenging in different ways, but I really liked it.”
Working with children quickly taught him that preparation is essential. Unlike adult models, children cannot wait around while a set is being organised. “Children have a really limited attention span,” he explains. “Everything needs to be ready before they arrive.”
This becomes even more important when photographing babies. “It could be a minute… it could be thirty seconds if you’re unlucky,” he says, which is why experienced productions often bring more than one baby to a shoot.
Responsibility Behind the Camera
For Ian, creating the right environment on set is just as important as the technical side of photography. “I try to create a calm environment,” he says, explaining that children respond best when the atmosphere is relaxed rather than pressured.
He often relies on small tricks to break the ice. One of them is a bright yellow Pikachu headscarf he wears on set, which many young models immediately recognise. “They’ll say, ‘Oh, it’s the guy with the Pikachu hat,’” he says. “Half the job’s done because they’re already relaxed.”
With older children he tends to interact with them naturally rather than directing them too rigidly. “If I want them to laugh, I won’t say ‘laugh’. I’ll say something that makes them laugh.”
Change Within the Industry
Ian has seen significant changes in commercial photography over the years, particularly in the pace and volume of work expected on a shoot. “When I first started, an average day might be eight shots,” he says. “Now I’ve been on jobs where they want sixty.”
Social media has also altered the industry landscape, creating more competition and making it easier for new photographers to enter the market. “It’s democratised the industry,” Ian explains. “There are just more people chasing the same piece of pie.”
Experience, Care and Long-Term Thinking
Despite the pressures of commercial work, Ian believes the welfare of children should always come first. “The kids’ welfare is the most important thing,” he says. Shoots must allow for rest, food and breaks, and the atmosphere should always be supportive rather than stressful.
At the end of the day, he believes a good shoot is one where both the images and the experience are positive. “We’re not saving lives here,” he says. “We’re just taking photos.” But making sure children feel comfortable and confident on set is what ultimately leads to the best results.