Ward Art Gallery
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Tips on Photographing Kids & Adults!
• Always photograph the child at his/her height.
• If you want to show the growth rate, take a photo of the child standing by an adult
or near a known object.
• Get into the habit of photographing your child on a regular basis; always have a
loaded camera within reach.
• Don't wait for the 'perfect moment'. Just let `em do what they want!
• Sometimes a crying, sleeping or eating photograph can be a nice souvenir.
• Do not try to 'direct' the child into a pose too much.
• If you want a spontaneous look of your child, try distracting the child with another
adult or an animal.
• Avoid clutter.
• Don't let their image or outline blend with background distractions.
• If you can, choose a background with as few details as possible; you really want
to focus the attention on the child.
• Try to use natural light when possible.
• Overcast days are best for photographing children.
• Sunny days cause ugly harsh shadows on faces, unless you use fill-flash.
• Plus you don't want kids squinting at bright sunlight.
• Outdoor lighting tends to yield best results early in morning or late in the
afternoon.
• With the sun at its peak, its rays force subjects to squint and its shadows tend to
be harsh.
• If possible, position a child with the sun shining on his face, but at an angle where
the light is slightly to the side. This helps bring out detail on faces.
• You may also want to consider using a flash outdoors, even when the sun is
bright. This technique will help offset some shadows caused by the sun's angle.
• You should, however, become more familiar with your camera before
experimenting with this process.
• When shooting indoors, have your subject face a window, so as to capture the
light shining on him.
• Do not put a subject in front of a window and shoot facing out of the window. If
you do, your picture could end up with your subject looking like a giant silhouette,
much like the picture to the left.
• When you do get `em to sit, don't let `em know it!
• One of the worst things you can probably tell a child is, "Look at the camera!" Did
you look at the camera when you were a kid?
• Keep them occupied by asking silly questions.
• Maybe you can tell them a few jokes and catch them laughing or showing that
quizzical look when they realize your joke is just not funny, even to a two-year-old.
• It's important to get kids used to the camera.
• Once they pay less attention to you, their reactions and expressions will be more
natural.
• Sometimes you have to take a few shots just to satisfy them before they'll relax.
• Some kids will deliberately foil anything an adult is trying to do. If you can't get
another subject, try to stare them down with the camera until they give up on the
weird faces and show-off stances.
• Or, take some shots, then quickly take some more when they're off-guard.
• Mostly you need to spend hours following the kids with the camera, and pretty
soon they forget you are there. And, if you're always using a camera on outings
with your own kids, they consider it a normal part of the outdoor activity.
• Trying to capture a particular child's behavior and facial mannerisms is especially
hard. Their expressions and movements are so subtle and fleeting. Asking them
to "do that again" usually backfires.
• Sometimes a setup shot will work, if you can get them absorbed in what they're
doing.
• Patiently waiting for that special reaction, though, is enough to drive you back to
taking elk photos! Get close!
• One of the biggest mistakes amateur photographers make is to take a picture
from too far away.
• Any subject looks much more dramatic when it fills the picture. This is especially
true of people. In most cases, you don't need to get the whole body in a picture.
When we look at a person, we focus on their face. When you take a picture, you
should do the same.
• Faces reflect our feelings and personality. Try taking a picture close enough that
your child's face fills most of the frame. You'll be surprised at how this simple trick
makes your pictures much more interesting and full of personality.
• If you are taking a picture of two people who differ greatly in height, such as an
adult and child, try arranging them so that their faces are close together.
• Have the adult sit down, or have the child stand on a stool or sit on the adult's lap.
• If you are taking a picture of your child doing something, then you will need to
capture more than just the face. But you should still try to take the picture close
enough to make it interesting.
• Suppose, for example, that you are taking a picture of your child riding a bike for
the first time. Do you really need to capture the entire child and bike, or would a
close up picture of the child framed by the handlebars, showing the excited
statement on the child's face, be more dramatic and memorable?
• Forget the cheese. Nothing ruins a picture faster than, "Say Cheese!" When you
say these magic words, people paste on their most artificial picture-taking smile.
• Kids seem to learn how to make a "picture face" very early, so if you want to
capture your children's personality in the picture, don't ever say those words.
• Try to take pictures of your children when they are relaxed and natural.
• Don't worry about whether they are smiling; try instead to capture their personality
and mood.
• If you are taking a posed picture, try to set your subject at ease and create a
relaxed atmosphere.
• Get them talking about something that interests them, and their face will light up
naturally.
• Or,if you have a knack for making people laugh, tell jokes or act silly to get them
loosened up.
• Encourage your kids to be silly too; sometimes these can be the most interesting
pictures.
• Frame the subject.
• Pay attention to the background of your picture; you don't want to take a picture
of the subject in front of a loud or busy background that will distract the eye from
what is important.
• If you are taking a posed picture, try to find a simple, neutral background. If you
are taking a candid or spontaneous picture, sometimes you can get a better
angle just by moving yourself a little to the left or right.
• Or, you can try stooping down for a more natural view of a child.
• Sometimes you can find a branch or other similar object to form a natural "frame"
around the subject. Rule of thirds.
• Most people center the subject in the picture, but centered pictures are the least
interesting pictures visually.
• Professional photographers use the "rule of thirds" as a guide when composing
pictures.
• Divide the image mentally into thirds, both vertically and horizontally.
• Put the most important parts of your pictures, such as faces, at the intersections
of these mental lines.
• Pay attention to the light.
• Take lots of pictures.
• The best way to take good pictures is to take lots of pictures.
• Even professional photographers often take the same picture more than once,
often with different lighting or other changes, to make sure that they get a good
one.
• The more pictures you take, the more practice you will get and the better you will
become.
• Whatever camera you use, have fun taking pictures of your kids.
• If you have fun, they'll have fun, and you'll create truly memorable pictures that
you can treasure for years to come.
• Always photograph the child at his/her height.
• If you want to show the growth rate, take a photo of the child standing by an adult
or near a known object.
• Get into the habit of photographing your child on a regular basis; always have a
loaded camera within reach.
• Don't wait for the 'perfect moment'. Just let `em do what they want!
• Sometimes a crying, sleeping or eating photograph can be a nice souvenir.
• Do not try to 'direct' the child into a pose too much.
• If you want a spontaneous look of your child, try distracting the child with another
adult or an animal.
• Avoid clutter.
• Don't let their image or outline blend with background distractions.
• If you can, choose a background with as few details as possible; you really want
to focus the attention on the child.
• Try to use natural light when possible.
• Overcast days are best for photographing children.
• Sunny days cause ugly harsh shadows on faces, unless you use fill-flash.
• Plus you don't want kids squinting at bright sunlight.
• Outdoor lighting tends to yield best results early in morning or late in the
afternoon.
• With the sun at its peak, its rays force subjects to squint and its shadows tend to
be harsh.
• If possible, position a child with the sun shining on his face, but at an angle where
the light is slightly to the side. This helps bring out detail on faces.
• You may also want to consider using a flash outdoors, even when the sun is
bright. This technique will help offset some shadows caused by the sun's angle.
• You should, however, become more familiar with your camera before
experimenting with this process.
• When shooting indoors, have your subject face a window, so as to capture the
light shining on him.
• Do not put a subject in front of a window and shoot facing out of the window. If
you do, your picture could end up with your subject looking like a giant silhouette,
much like the picture to the left.
• When you do get `em to sit, don't let `em know it!
• One of the worst things you can probably tell a child is, "Look at the camera!" Did
you look at the camera when you were a kid?
• Keep them occupied by asking silly questions.
• Maybe you can tell them a few jokes and catch them laughing or showing that
quizzical look when they realize your joke is just not funny, even to a two-year-old.
• It's important to get kids used to the camera.
• Once they pay less attention to you, their reactions and expressions will be more
natural.
• Sometimes you have to take a few shots just to satisfy them before they'll relax.
• Some kids will deliberately foil anything an adult is trying to do. If you can't get
another subject, try to stare them down with the camera until they give up on the
weird faces and show-off stances.
• Or, take some shots, then quickly take some more when they're off-guard.
• Mostly you need to spend hours following the kids with the camera, and pretty
soon they forget you are there. And, if you're always using a camera on outings
with your own kids, they consider it a normal part of the outdoor activity.
• Trying to capture a particular child's behavior and facial mannerisms is especially
hard. Their expressions and movements are so subtle and fleeting. Asking them
to "do that again" usually backfires.
• Sometimes a setup shot will work, if you can get them absorbed in what they're
doing.
• Patiently waiting for that special reaction, though, is enough to drive you back to
taking elk photos! Get close!
• One of the biggest mistakes amateur photographers make is to take a picture
from too far away.
• Any subject looks much more dramatic when it fills the picture. This is especially
true of people. In most cases, you don't need to get the whole body in a picture.
When we look at a person, we focus on their face. When you take a picture, you
should do the same.
• Faces reflect our feelings and personality. Try taking a picture close enough that
your child's face fills most of the frame. You'll be surprised at how this simple trick
makes your pictures much more interesting and full of personality.
• If you are taking a picture of two people who differ greatly in height, such as an
adult and child, try arranging them so that their faces are close together.
• Have the adult sit down, or have the child stand on a stool or sit on the adult's lap.
• If you are taking a picture of your child doing something, then you will need to
capture more than just the face. But you should still try to take the picture close
enough to make it interesting.
• Suppose, for example, that you are taking a picture of your child riding a bike for
the first time. Do you really need to capture the entire child and bike, or would a
close up picture of the child framed by the handlebars, showing the excited
statement on the child's face, be more dramatic and memorable?
• Forget the cheese. Nothing ruins a picture faster than, "Say Cheese!" When you
say these magic words, people paste on their most artificial picture-taking smile.
• Kids seem to learn how to make a "picture face" very early, so if you want to
capture your children's personality in the picture, don't ever say those words.
• Try to take pictures of your children when they are relaxed and natural.
• Don't worry about whether they are smiling; try instead to capture their personality
and mood.
• If you are taking a posed picture, try to set your subject at ease and create a
relaxed atmosphere.
• Get them talking about something that interests them, and their face will light up
naturally.
• Or,if you have a knack for making people laugh, tell jokes or act silly to get them
loosened up.
• Encourage your kids to be silly too; sometimes these can be the most interesting
pictures.
• Frame the subject.
• Pay attention to the background of your picture; you don't want to take a picture
of the subject in front of a loud or busy background that will distract the eye from
what is important.
• If you are taking a posed picture, try to find a simple, neutral background. If you
are taking a candid or spontaneous picture, sometimes you can get a better
angle just by moving yourself a little to the left or right.
• Or, you can try stooping down for a more natural view of a child.
• Sometimes you can find a branch or other similar object to form a natural "frame"
around the subject. Rule of thirds.
• Most people center the subject in the picture, but centered pictures are the least
interesting pictures visually.
• Professional photographers use the "rule of thirds" as a guide when composing
pictures.
• Divide the image mentally into thirds, both vertically and horizontally.
• Put the most important parts of your pictures, such as faces, at the intersections
of these mental lines.
• Pay attention to the light.
• Take lots of pictures.
• The best way to take good pictures is to take lots of pictures.
• Even professional photographers often take the same picture more than once,
often with different lighting or other changes, to make sure that they get a good
one.
• The more pictures you take, the more practice you will get and the better you will
become.
• Whatever camera you use, have fun taking pictures of your kids.
• If you have fun, they'll have fun, and you'll create truly memorable pictures that
you can treasure for years to come.