020 - June 18, 2010- Kid’s Pictures
I’m often asked the question “How do you get such good pictures of kids?” – or – “My pictures of my kids don’t look like that!” – or – some other form of the same question. The quick answer is: as with any skill that you want to improve, practice and analyze – the answer is quick, but the solution can take time to develop. Unless you have the equipment and money (a few thousand should do it) and the time to gain their experience, you probably won’t be able to duplicate the results that the “chain” photographers produce in studio; they are using carefully thought-out and designed lighting and background schemes and are usually trained to pose their subjects in a limited number of ways (every child’s class picture looks similar). Independent professional photographers will strive to capture a more individual and unique look in their photographs, but still must use special equipment. It’s likely that most of your pictures of kids will be in candid settings but these photos can be high quality and capture what your kids are enjoying at the moment. Having photographed hundreds of kids of all ages in both studio and candid settings, I’ve found a few things that work, so here are some ideas.
How many of us have experienced this: You see your child doing something really cute – you run to get the camera –replace the dead batteries and put a memory card in it – line up the picture - the cute scene is passed, but you take a picture anyway – look at the photo later and wonder why you took it in the first place? When you take candid photos, try to anticipate the cute scenes; keep the camera handy and take lots of picts; if you get 1 photo out of 10 that’s a keeper, you’re doing really well! Digital memory is cheap, so discard the ones that don’t work. The best photos will capture an intensity and emotion and seem to stop time for an instant.
Get down to your kid’s level. The best photos will capture your subject’s experience, sometimes from their point of view. Capture their excitement – their reactions. Often the excitement becomes diluted or lost when the photo is taken from the adult perspective --remember: that little kid may only be 2 feet tall – sometimes getting down on the floor gives the best photo angle.
With few exceptions, little kids don’t pose well. Many kids (and adults) have learned that when they see a camera, and someone says “smile”, the intensity of the moment that you wanted to capture is instantly suspended; they stare at the camera, turn away from the camera, or they adopt a pre-conceived pose that usually looks very artificial. Try taking the pict while they are doing something. For younger kids, give them something to play with or attract their attention. Actual posing becomes possible when the kids are old enough to realize the good photo is a direct result of their appearance; using their imagination to set up the expression works well.
Especially when photographing younger kids, using a second person to focus the child’s attention is very helpful and allows you the freedom to happily click away with the camera. Timing is important, though. A young child’s attention span will be limited, so the camera must be ready, then the child’s attention is focused on the object and the helper quickly steps out of the picture. Click several quick pictures – hopefully, at least one of the pictures works. Then move on to another focus object.
Tip #1: If a smile is important, I generally avoid saying “Smile”. Something like “Smile for the birdie” or “Give Mommy a big smile” (even if the birdie or Mommy aren’t in sight) can connect the physical action to an emotional memory and inspires a much more natural and real smile.
Tip #2: Sometimes a pleasant facial expression is more effective than an artificial smile.
Tip #3: If you have someone to help set up the pict, talk through what you need your helper to do and when. It’s difficult to recreate an expression of honest emotion, and even harder to hold that expression so you and the camera must be ready when it happens.
Tip #4: If you are organizing and running a special occasion and want it photograph it as well, consider asking someone else to do photos - even hire a photographer for the occasion. Working out a deal for files of the photos can leave you with a lot of good photos and allow you to enjoy the occasion as well.
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