Tips for Photographing Children

Photographing Children can be a challenge, but it can also be very rewarding. Capturing every moment of the life of your child will turn memories into a treasure that you can keep for the rest of your life.

Without further ado, here are some tips to help you take better photos of your children.

Make the camera an everyday device:

Children will act more naturally if the camera becomes a part of their everyday life, Instead of using it a few times and only on special occasions.

You can start by taking photos of your kids a couple of times each week. This will make them used to the presence of the camera and will give you the opportunity to practice.

Bend down, Stoop, Crouch, Kneel…

Whatever you do, get yourself at the eye level of the child. Many make the error of taking photos of children from the level of the photographer. The resulting pictures will have some disproportion problems. The emphasis will be on the head while the body will appear tiny. While this kind of point of view can produce some interesting images, it won’t be flattering in most cases.

Get on your knees or sit down on the ground and you will be able to take photos from the level of the child which will produce more realistic and balanced photographs. You can go even lower and take some pictures at the ground level. This point of view will make the children look like giants.

Take Advantage of good Light.

Digital photography offers you many ways to take advantage of the available or artificial light. In order to take the right choice when it comes to lighting you need to know how to set the appropriate ISO value for each situation you are in. You will also need to analyze the light, so you can properly choose your point of view.

Try not to use direct flash. Because you risk losing the feel of softness that is preferable when photographing children. When taking indoor photos you can mix the ambient light with the light of a flash bouncing from a ceiling or a nearby wall. Outdoors, flash is crucial when you find yourself in a backlit situation. Also, when taking photos of children outdoor, try to avoid direct sunlight and find a shady spot where the light is reflected or diffused. This will result in photos that are not too contrasty and where you can see the details more clearly.

Tweak Your Composition.

As in any other form of photography, getting the composition right is very important when it comes to photographing children. After all, it’s composition that will either draw or discard the viewer’s attention.  Some of the things you should consider when taking photos of kids are:

– Fill the frame: Well, backgrounds can be pretty distracting sometimes, and you want all the attention to be on your child. So, don’t be afraid of getting close and filling the frame with your subject. Unless the environment is relevant in the photo, don’t hesitate to concentrate on the face of the child.

-The Background:  When taking photos of children, opt for clean and simple backgrounds. Sometimes a tiny detail in the background can ruin a photo by drawing the eye to it rather than to the subject.  Lawns and walls are good examples of a simple background. But, if you can’t find a suitable background, you can use wide apertures which will produce a shallow depth of field and thus, keep the focus on the child.

-An Off-centered Subject:  A composition with a centered subject can be dull, especially when photographing children in a horizontal format. Applying the rule of thirds and making your subject off-centered can make the composition more dynamic and vivid.

Photo by notsogoodphotography

Don’t make them pose for you.

You won’t be able to get a shot with a natural expression of the child if you make him/her pose for you. Also, children can be attentive to your directions for a few minutes, but after that they will get bored and will search for something else to do. The best way to get that natural feeling when photographing children is to take the photos while they are engaged in an activity, while they are not aware of your presence.

Be patient and don’t expect to get a great photo at the first attempt. Take a seat and observe the children in their activities and look out for photo opportunities. Be prepared to react quickly. You never know when a child is going to do something interesting or funny.

When taking this kind of photos , where there is action going on, it’s better to set the camera on shutter priority mode and to use fast shutter speeds ( 1/125s and higher). This will ensure you get sharp and clear action shots without a risk of motion blur.

Take the age in consideration.

The age of the child you are photographing plays a major role in determining how you should proceed. With each age range the activities, environment and interests of the children change and you should change your approach in photographing them accordingly.

Newborns and infants are either sleeping or eating most of the time. So if you want to take some photos of them while they are awake, it’s better to do so around their eating time. Try to capture some details, such as their hands, feet, hair, to show how tiny they are in comparison with adults. Also, as the mothers are still the most prominent person in their life, it can be interesting to capture the love and affection of the mother to her child through taking photos of little gestures, like breast feeding, holding, and kissing.

From the age of three, children will begin having an interest and will become curious of everything that surrounds them. They will also become more active. In this age they will begin recognizing you as a photographer and will show some interest in you. This is also the age where they begin having some friends and some group activities. So when photographing children at this age, you should take in consideration their environment and their friends. From the age of six, children will begin having school related activities. So, make sure to include the school side of their lives in the photos. From this age, it will be easier to get them to pose for you, as they are more likely to listen to your directions and cooperate with you.

Some Examples of Children Photography:

Photo by Vince Alongi

Photo by Babasteve

Photo by Jesslee Cuizon

Photo by Superman Ha Muerto

Photo by Peasap