Photographing Children

First, my biggest piece of advice for any photographer is to shoot, shoot, shoot. Get out there and practice - everyday. The more you shoot, the more you'll start to see what you like. Not every picture will be great, no matter how good you are. In the film days, photographers, and I'm talking professionals, were happy to get 1 usable image off of 1 roll of film. So, just practice.

Second, be patient - with yourself and children. Rarely do things go as planned. Kids wear their hearts on their sleeves, and you'll have to work with that. Forcing poses, smiles, and attitudes will end up backfiring, causing meltdowns or just plain stubbornness. So, have an attitude of playfulness when capturing those special moments.

Have you ever heard the saying, "It's who's behind the camera, not the camera?" Well, it's true. I'm not saying there is no reason to get more sophisticated equipment, but for the everyday snap-shooter, what you have will get you some great images of your kids - if you follow a few simple rules.

That said, I suggest you get to know how your camera works, and I mean all of it's capabilities. This might take reading the manual, practicing with each of the settings or even taking a beginning photography class. I offer a 3 day (1 day a week for only 2 hours each meeting) workshop to seniors at the local senior center showing them how to use their cameras and take great pictures; many community organizations or local photographers offer such short workshops - look into it.

The reason for getting to know your camera is that you'll be taking it off of the "Auto" setting and using some of the setting that offer a bit more tweaking for each situation.

I'm going to focus on candids without the need for a flash, tripod or any other extra equipment; 90% of the situations with children won't require these tools.

NOTE
If you have a passion for photographing even you own children I would suggest investing in an entry level DSLR (an interchangeable lens camera) with at least 1 "fast" lens (larger aperture, smaller f# - more on this to come).

I have been photographing children for 5 years now, and these are the most important things I've learned. I'm self-taught, by the way, so you can take great photographs, too!

• Watch the light. Direct sun and on-camera flash are too harsh. Get in the shade, filter the flash - overcast days are actually great for taking photos; the clouds are a natural diffuser. Also, shoot for the golden hour - just before sundown - really great light.


• Avoid distracting backgrounds. There are 2 ways to do this, most simply, shoot where there is not distracting background. But when that is unavoidable, use a shallow depth of field (see the exposure triangle below).


• Give kids some space; let them get comfortable with you hanging around; let their natural curiosity and play develop and shoot more discreetly.


• But get in close, too. Ha! When the time is right, focus on their face to capture natural emotion. Focus on their hands for interesting detail and variety.


• Change your perspective. Get on the floor, on the kids' level. Shoot from above them when they're looking right up at you. Change your location in relation to them; move yourself around your subject and test some different angles.


• Shoot, Shoot, Shoot! I can't say it enough. Practice as much as you can. I promise, you will see improvement.

Mystery of the Exposure Triangle Revealed

"Mastering the art of exposure is something that takes a lot of practice. In many ways it's a juggling act and even the most experienced photographers experiment and tweak their settings as they go. Keep in mind that changing each element not only impacts the exposure of the image but each one also has an impact upon other aspects of it (ie changing aperture changes depth of field, changing ISO changes the graininess of a shot and changing shutter speed impacts how motion is captured).

The great thing about digital cameras is that they are the ideal testing bed for learning about exposure. You can take as many shots as you like at no cost and they not only allow you to shoot in Auto mode and Manual mode - but also generally have semi-automatic modes like aperture priority and shutter priority modes which allow you to make decisions about one or two elements of the triangle and let the camera handle the other elements."

See the full article at Learning about Exposure - The Exposure Triangle.

• How to Photograph Children


• Photographing Children - Composition


• Photographing Children - Capture WHO they are


• Photographing Children - A Quick Tip


• 5 Tips for Photographing Children


• Photographing Children - Photographing their Art

Many thanks for
SquidAngel blessings from