Constantly in movement, and endless little bursts of energy, a child is a difficult subject to photograph.
But there are a few ways to make photographing a child a bit easier.
- In the future, the photograph you will treasure most, is going to be the spontaneous, non planned shot. You will cherish those that capture spontaneous action or expressions, rather than those stiff posed shots. Just start shooting photos and wait for them to forget about the camera.
- Try to zoom in. Don’t stand 8 feet away to get a good shot. Sure, you can get more movement in an 8 foot shot, but zooming in and getting close ups, make for a more priceless shot. Try getting around 3 feet and aim for a head to shoulder shot.
- Don’t automatically shoot everything head on. Shoot profile shots, or even from the back. Have your subject looking up, or down. Or even straight ahead if you are taking a profile shot. Just try modifying the “normal” way you take photographs and play around with some dimension.
- Photograph multiple children in one shot. It makes for a more interesting photograph. Try to capture two children engaged in an activity, or interacting in someway. These shots are priceless!
- Take tons of photographs. Don’t just snap a couple to get that great shot. In this day of digital photography, we have the ability to shoot multiple shots in a row and have a greater probability of getting that award winning picture. So don’t just take one or two photographs, take 10. You can always delete the ones you don’t like. But I promise, you’re more likely to get some good shots if you shoot multiple photos in a row.
No matter what you do, be sure and capture as many memories as possible. You think you’ll always remember what your children were like at a certain age, what they looked like and the faces they make. But you won’t. Time will begin to fade those memories and unless you have a priceless photograph detailing that time, you will lose that memory forever. So take lots of photographs of your kids and take them frequently. They grow and change very fast. This time won’t last forever.
What are some of your favorite pictures of your children?