It might sound amateurish or laissez faire, but it is neither. In reality, it's Classic Kids Photography, a 5-year-old Los Gatos portrait studio that lets kids be themselves—whether that means standing on their heads, wiping their runny noses or talking to their favorite stuffed animals. About the only thing classic about it is that all photographs are taken in black and white and printed on archival-quality photographic paper made of tree pulp. (Negatives can be selectively hand-painted later).

"Our goal is to capture what a child really looks like. The outcome of directing a child to 'sit still!' is usually an unnatural, posed and stressed look on their face," explains Rúna Magowan, company co-owner and the photographer at Classic Kids' other Bay Area studio, located in San Mateo.

"There is so much beauty in the things kids do. We give them room to be themselves. The child is doing what comes naturally, and we capture that personality on film," adds Magowan, a mother of two.

"They hardly even know we're photographing them. Some kids say this is more fun than going to the park," says Lynn Miano, who operates the Los Gatos studio. She got her first taste of Classic Kids as a client, when she had her daughters photographed. The Los Gatan says she fell in love with the concept immediately and decided to work there herself.

"No one was surprised among my circle of friends and family members," says Miano, an unabashed shutterbug. "I feel like I'm finally doing what I should be doing."

Like all aspiring Classic Kids photographers, Miano passed the litmus test by meeting with company founder Julie Floyd—formerly of the Bay Area and now of Illinois—and Magowan, Floyd's business partner. Miano then apprenticed with Heidi Anderson, who ran the Los Gatos studio until moving to Hawaii earlier this year.

"It's truly entertainment on both sides," Miano says, smiling as she relates the give-and-take relationship she enjoys with her young subjects, who range from infants to teenagers. "You get to become truly involved with each family for the time you're with them. We're the ones getting the gift, just from working with the kids."

While just about anything goes in the studio, there is one image—or rather, collection of images—that Classic Kids pioneered, according to Miano. It's called "Baby Parts" and involves nine square-shaped close-ups of a baby's body, arranged in a collage format. These shots may include chubby toes, wrinkly fingers, the nape of the neck, tear-stained eyelashes and, yes, even the baby's bottom.

Classic Kids Photography is located at 465 N. Santa Cruz Ave. For more information, call 408.354.9116.