Children are naturally photogenic. Ive worked in studios and children are so easy to photograph. What I hear from parents is that they dont think that their kids are that easy to photograph. Thats only because they dont know some basic tips.
1. Young children especially infants take beautiful photos while they are asleep. Keep the light natural avoid flash if at all possible. Keep the image tight on the child and crop out distractions. For infants when theyre awake youre better off having another person in image, it gives the child someone to interact with and you can crop the shot to keep the other person out of the image or you can keep the adult and child in the photo.
2. Toddlers look best when they dont know that youre taking their photo. Candid shots are the way to go for this age group. Keep your camera handy and when they start doing something cute snap the photo quick. Remember your child doesnt have to be looking directly into the camera to take a great photo. Dont ever say to the toddler, Oh how cute, now look here. It wont happen.
3. Children ages 4 plus are really good at sitting for photos. But if youre going to dress them up make sure that they are comfortable and dont put them in some outfit they hate, it will show in the image. Crop tight on your subject, keep the light natural, and if youre using a toy to get their attention make sure that it makes them laugh and doesnt scare them. (I learned that lesson the hard way.)
4. Older children are really good at dressing up for photos. The hardest thing will be getting a natural smile from them. Say, cheese is a sure fire way to get a fake smile. Most of us learned young to smile automatically at that cue. Here you have to get silly. One time I was working with a young boy and his older sister. She was a natural smiler and loved being dressed up. He was not happy and kept pulling at his tie. His mother straightened it for the tenth time. I posed them and addressed the young boy I said, Now on the count of three I want you to say, I hate this tie! His sister smiled surprised at what I said, and he grinned. I took the photo. He then screamed, I hate this tie! Again both smiled wide and I took a second photo. The images turned out beautiful.
I hope these tips help you to take better photos of your child. With a little practice and a few tips youll see better family photos immediately.
If you have some specific questions please visit my Photography Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/index.php and post your question there.
About The Author
Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal
Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (http://kellypaalphotography.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/index.php). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.
local house cleaners Park Ridge ..Fuji digital cameras entered the market in the late 90's.... Read More
Point and click. The new life of digital cameras gives... Read More
Digital photography has taken off like wildfire these days, primarily... Read More
Every Mom wants to take great photos of their babies... Read More
Have you read the manual that came with your digital... Read More
1. Myth: Digital photos are pixilated or fuzzy. Reality: most... Read More
At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President... Read More
Reflected Light Readings for Film and Digital ImagesIn order to... Read More
One of the most common problems when dealing with scanned... Read More
Elephants in the Sky[1980s, Lee Evens in Mali, Timbuktu/Africa]Advance: Lee... Read More
When you're driving through the mountains somewhere, and you... Read More
If you think that digital cameras are for snapshots only,... Read More
So you have this great new camera. Now you're standing... Read More
Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More
One of the biggest debates in the photography world is... Read More
Your lens is an essential element to good photographs. It's... Read More
Break out that video camera, there is a game this... Read More
Infrared photography is sometimes placed on the outside edge of... Read More
Nature is all around us, and its beauties are unlimited.... Read More
Anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills... Read More
How many of the birthday party pictures you've seen are... Read More
You may have joined the photo-sharing craze to share your... Read More
So your picture came out less then perfect. Blemishes or... Read More
The article given here was written for Adobe Photoshop 5,6,7,CS,... Read More
Let's start there (but not spend too much time on... Read More
move out cleaning service Glenview ..When I promised readers that I was going to do... Read More
You will need an underwater camera housing to keep your... Read More
The digital camera is a wonderful device that allows a... Read More
1. Myth: Digital photos are pixilated or fuzzy. Reality: most... Read More
Setting up your own photography business it easy, you don't... Read More
There are a few very important tasks associated with using... Read More
Get a good face shot: Use Higher quality cameras at... Read More
Photography is a vast world. There are many different types... Read More
If you have hopes of becoming a professional photographer, or... Read More
Almost all of us will have seen this particular photographic... Read More
Digital Imaging is a process where an electronic photograph, scanned... Read More
The Vacation Season is fast approaching and naturally you will... Read More
A common problem with old photos is that they often... Read More
Fuji digital cameras entered the market in the late 90's.... Read More
So, you have taken lots of pictures with your new... Read More
A few years ago I became interested in digital photography,... Read More
Using a tripod is essential when taking photos - and... Read More
Being a professional digital photographer is a dream many people... Read More
What I learned from a mentor that enabled me to... Read More
The digital camera is not meant only for capturing images... Read More
Looking at the digital camera, a person can visualize it... Read More
Some compact cameras are small enough to fit in your... Read More
Started in a single-room by three Japanese men in the... Read More
There is one simple technique any body can do to... Read More
Here are examples of two basic videos you can create... Read More
Photography |