What is PCS you ask? Every photographer with children knows PCS and must deal with this illness from time to time. For the non-photographer, PCS stands for Photographer’s Child Syndrome. The condition usually makes it first appearance around the age of 2, give or take a few months. The condition primarily shows its signs when the mother or father photographer attempts to photograph their child. Symptoms begin with a lack of eye contact, or limited eye contract present only with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow. As the disease progresses, the child becomes more agitated and vocal about their resistance to having their picture taken. They run from the camera, yelling vulgarities such as “nnoooooo mommmmyyyyy! no camera! no pictures!”. At its worst, the disease is characterized by full on tantrums, plenty of alligator tears, and occasional violence against camera equipment. The only real cure for the disease is to stop taking the child’s picture and allow them ample time to recover. For some lucky photographers, the condition only lasts a few months. For others, it can last years. PCS is generally found in children under the age of 4, but can also make a reappearance in the teenage years.

Ethan’s PCS first appeared just a few months before his second birthday. At first it was minor and manageable. He didn’t really want to look at the camera every day, but as long as I gave him a few days of rest, he would cooperate to a degree. As the months went by, his condition worsened. It reached its peak in December. The following photos are not for the faint of heart and display a pretty good representation of a child in the throws of a PCS induced tantrum.

Do you see the intense look of pleading and desperation in his eyes? This session ended a few seconds later with Ethan attempted to violently knock the camera from my hands. I’m glad this phase has passed. We have put Ethan through an intense course of rest from the camera, and he has made some improvements. Generally he still refuses to look and he will make verbal protests “noooooo peek-shure! no mommy cam-rah!”. Sometimes he will even cover his face or attempt to push the camera away. But I do have lucky days where he willingly cooperates. Mornings are generally best. I’ll take any cooperation, even if I only get a look like this: