Photographer SAVERIO recently brought his signature mix of improv instincts and kid-friendly intuition to a portrait project and cover shoot for Chicago Magazine. Fluent in “third-grader” and well-versed in the rhythms of a studio set, he proved to be the ideal photographer to wrangle young subjects into portraits full of character, humor, and honesty.
For the portrait series, SAVERIO worked with a group of young improv students, going beyond the usual request for a “silly face”. Instead, he coached the kids to think differently about their facial muscles, encouraging more nuanced expressions. The result: roughly 1,500 perfectly odd faces, many of them likely expressing their feelings about him that Saturday morning.
As any seasoned kid photographer knows, early shoots are key to avoiding cranky, hungry afternoons. While that rule held true for most of the project, the cover shoot didn’t allow for such luxury. The magazine’s 5-year-old cover star, Pharoah, offered a real-world reminder of why timing matters, occasionally going on strike until his mom stepped in to gently smooth things over.
The final images balance spontaneity with subtle direction, capturing kids exactly as they are: unfiltered, expressive, and unpredictable.
For more of SAVERIO’s work, visit their Workbook portfolio.
Represented by the Gren Group.
