Ingrid Skousgard's project was for a family to celebrate their new addition. (She's currently very inspired by projects where she gets to work with families.) The older sibling in these pictures is three years old. Children at that age never behave the way the parents think they should — as in more controlled and adult like. Ironically, the natural behavior of a child, a little “out of control,” is always perfect for photos.

It is not uncommon after shoots with children, whether for a family or a commercial client, to have people on set to look at me and ask if I got anything. There’s often a misconception that children have to be still and controlled to get a good picture.
-Ingrid Skousgard

Taking pictures for a family is always an honor. I let their interaction inspire the shoot. I feel my style is very natural. I strive to not control my subjects beyond what is absolutely necessary. (Depending on the creative brief, that can be a very challenging line to tread.)
-Ingrid Skousgard

My goal is for their personality to show more than mine. But even with that, as the person creating the image I can’t help but to leave a signature. Maybe someone else could say what that signature is better than me? For inspiration I consistently look at the work of Koto Bolofo. I love his style.
-Ingrid Skousgard

Shoot, shoot, shoot. Take pictures and more pictures. You learn best by doing or watching someone do, as in assisting. Real life assisting of someone you respect, and spending a good amount of time with them. Looking at beautiful work only makes you a connoisseur, to be the creator you have to constantly be in it, be a part of it.
-Ingrid Skousgard

Nikon D800, Nikon 24 to 70, Nikon 85mm 1.4. These images were shot on a dark, rainy December day. I ended up at f/1.4 frequently and still utilized a slow shutter speed, even with a fairly high ISO, to give the images a nice airy feel. It amazing how many options modern cameras give us to capture just the look we want, even in challenging lighting conditions.
-Ingrid Skousgard

About Ingrid Skousgard

Ingrid grew up concurrently in Southwest Florida and the Panama Canal Zone. After graduating from collage in 1996, she moved to New York City where she discovered the world of commercial photo shoots. That first experience on set was working for a photographer as a gofer running coffee. Everything about production fascinated her in every way. She moved on to become successful commercial makeup artist, and then later an assistant photographer, before venturing out on her own freelance photography career in 2009. She landed her first national magazine cover within a year of that final switch. Ingrid's work captures the natural, in-between moments that come so easily to children and seeks that same energy from adults. She strives to capture the individuality of each subject within the context of every assignment. Her images match the energy of life with a clean aesthetic. See more of his works on Behance or her website.