Photographing Children
I was talking to a friend earlier today about photographing children. She just got a new digital camera, and like all of us, hasn't had the time to actually read the manual to figure it out. She commented that she wished her photos would turn out better of her two kids. She and I were together yesterday and I was playing with her new camera and she remarked on how the photos I took were so much better than the ones she took. As I know nothing more than she knows on how to use her camera, I asked her what she liked about the ones I took versus the ones she took ... was it color or composition? Turns out it was more about composition. So, I thought that it might be a good idea to post a couple of things I do when I'm taking photographs -- of children or really anything else. These photos were all taken yesterday as we spent the afternoon playing.
1. Get close. I love to fill up the frame with one image. I get close, close, close to my subject in order to make the photo more interesting. In this photo, I don't mind that a bit of the top of his head and a bit of his chin is cut out. By filling the entire frame with his expression, you really get caught up in his happy moment.
2. Look for the unnoticed details. I love this photograph. I intentionally shot it so the focus was on the cherrios and the top part of his head was cut out of the picture. You don't need his whole face to really get the essence of the moment.
3. Get down on their level. When photographing children, get down on their level. Yes, that might mean sitting on the grass or kneeling, but a photo is so much more interesting when you get their perspective. If I had taken this photo from my perspective, you would have missed out on the fact that we were in this long row of strawberry plants. He still remains the primary subject of the photo, but you really get a sense for how he was picking those strawberries.
4. Throw out all the rules. :) I love this one -- both the rule and the photo. Does it matter that its blurry? NO! In fact, a perfectly focused photo, in this case, wouldn't have worked as well. What works for this photo is you get a sense for the movement and play that is happening at this moment. You really feel the freedom he is feeling by flying!
And, the best tip I can give you is to keep shooting. With digital cameras, you have so many opportunities to try, try, try again. Don't worry about the posed shots, capture your everyday moments. :)
1. Get close. I love to fill up the frame with one image. I get close, close, close to my subject in order to make the photo more interesting. In this photo, I don't mind that a bit of the top of his head and a bit of his chin is cut out. By filling the entire frame with his expression, you really get caught up in his happy moment.
2. Look for the unnoticed details. I love this photograph. I intentionally shot it so the focus was on the cherrios and the top part of his head was cut out of the picture. You don't need his whole face to really get the essence of the moment.
3. Get down on their level. When photographing children, get down on their level. Yes, that might mean sitting on the grass or kneeling, but a photo is so much more interesting when you get their perspective. If I had taken this photo from my perspective, you would have missed out on the fact that we were in this long row of strawberry plants. He still remains the primary subject of the photo, but you really get a sense for how he was picking those strawberries.
4. Throw out all the rules. :) I love this one -- both the rule and the photo. Does it matter that its blurry? NO! In fact, a perfectly focused photo, in this case, wouldn't have worked as well. What works for this photo is you get a sense for the movement and play that is happening at this moment. You really feel the freedom he is feeling by flying!
And, the best tip I can give you is to keep shooting. With digital cameras, you have so many opportunities to try, try, try again. Don't worry about the posed shots, capture your everyday moments. :)
posted by karen at 11:49 AM
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