Holiday Cheer, Captured On Film
Like all those holiday carols and bells, it's one of the traditional sounds of the yuletide season: wailing children getting their picture taken with Santa. It's just part of the holiday meltdown.
Sure, you know the scene — the photographer coaxing, the parents coaching, the kids not cooperating, CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason reports.
"It's stressful, I'm not gonna lie," said photographer Alex Brock.
Brock is a photographer with Kiddie Kandids. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, they snap 6.5 million of those pictures, doing whatever it takes to put a happy face on your holiday card.
What's in his bag of tricks?
"Peek a boo. Tickling. Bribery," Brock said. "I cross my eyes a lot. That makes kids happy."
It's a job that requires patience, because everyone wants that perfect picture.
Who's tougher to deal with, the kids or the parents?
"I'd say the parents for sure," Brock said.
While the parents get worked up, the kids get worn down.
And what are you supposed to do if your star keeps tipping over, or starts chewing her shoe, or can't keep her hat on straight?
But like Santa, Brock delivers, even when it seems hopeless.
Mason asked him: "Do you have to have a special temperament to do this?"
"Definitely!" Brock said.
So, take a tip from the pros. Relax: somehow those holiday cards will get out again this year…if you can just snap Santa Claus out of his nap.
