The field of child photography is challenging but also both enjoyable and profitable - if you like children. Don't bother pretending, if you really don't. You may fool a parent - but not the little one.
Tips to help are: The techniques used in most other fields of photography do not always apply in child photography. The phrase "hold it" or "freeze" carry very little weight with children. They typically do as they please and if they please. Your assignment is to anticipate what a child may be about to do and capture it.
Photographing children takes a special skill, as most children (depending on age) will not always do what you ask of them. As a photographer, you need to know and understand that children will not always be cooperative just because they are going to have their picture taken. Photographing children may require a great deal of imagination on your part to get them to do what you need in order to capture a great picture. Sometimes, you may have to trick them into doing what you want them to do. Use whatever means necessary to get the shots you need.
Know your stuff - Before you start booking sessions with children you must know exactly what you are capable of doing - what your camera is capable of doing - what all your equipment is capable of doing. Operating your camera and equipment must be second nature. Have your style of photography down pat, so when you start a session your mind is on the children). This takes your complete focus. This is not the time to be fiddling with you camera, or trying to figure out your light setup. Children take 100% of your concentration. For some children the entire shoot may only last 10 minutes - though you feel you have just run a marathon - so you have to be able to get in position , get the most cooperation from the child, get great shots. At times, this has to be done very quickly, BUT you cannot make the child feel they are being rushed.
When photographing children, expect anything and everything to happen. If you have a better understanding of the various behaviours of children at certain ages, it will go a long way to being able to capture the images you want thus increasing your financial gain. In addition, knowing what you can expect from a child at age two versus one at age five, will help in keeping your clients satisfied.
During a session photographing children you can get a variety of poses, expressions and antics. In no other field of photography are you liable to get such variety. The more you learn about little ones the better child photographer you will be. Children are not just children until they become adults -they come in all sizes. Between four months and four years you can place them into quite a few categories: 4-6 mos, 6-12 mos, 12-18 mos, 18-24 mos, and then you can lengthen out the age span. Awareness of these ages are needed to help you - the photographer - be aware of the limitations children (especially little ones) have.
While you may not appreciate having a child's parents in the studio (or location of the shoot), they can turn out to be extremely helpful in assisting you in capturing the types of photographs they are looking for. Parents will be able to tell you what to do [or not do] to get their child's attention and keep it. All of this knowledge can come in very handy given children are not very capable of sitting still for any great length of time.
Be ready with that camera when you first introduce something new -you do not get a second chance to get first reactions!
Forget about the use of a tripod in a photo session with a child- it will only get in the way especially as things start to happen quickly. Make sure your camera is on a fast shutter speed (to prevent blurring) at all times; you never know what a child is going to do next and you must be ready to capture it no matter what.
When photographing children, there is no need to take the standard picture (unless you are asked to do so by the parents). Be as creative as possible; photograph them on a horse, coming down the slide in a park, running after a ball. There are so many possibilities! The more experience you gain taking pictures of children the more you will know what works best for each child and each situation.
Take picture of one child is challenging enough, but sometimes, you are forced to deal with more than one. Siblings, cousins, twins, triplets are common subjects you will have to deal with. Don't panic! Admittedly, controlling more than one child can be difficult, but the key is to get all the subjects focused on one focal point before you take the picture. It can be very tricky, but with practice, you will learn it isn't impossible.
When capturing a child or children on film, get creative when trying to get their attention; use different techniques and use them quickly as you won't have the time to try again. Using a digital camera can help in this regard as there are no limits to the amount of exposures you can take and luckily, you can look at the pictures very quickly as you go.
Brothers and sisters can also play a vital role in your photography session with children. Siblings may actually be more successful than parents in getting their brother or sister to laugh, cry, smile, or make a funny face. Use the comfort level a child feels with their sibling to your best advantage and get the pictures you want. Another bonus to having sibling present, is that the parents may decide that they too should be photographed- all this means a bigger photo package for the client and more money for you!
The more advanced you become as a child photographer, you will need to include both a lighting set-up and backdrop in the pictures. Typically, a three-light set-up (consisting of a main light and back light) are the best way to go. If you are still a novice photographer, you can still take quality photos with less. You can experiment as you go, trying out what works best to eliminate certain things such as shadows [if using a backdrop].
Continue to use your creativity to its capacity when it comes to photographing children: don't stay in the studio unless you are required to. Try out different venues particularly outside. If you do, you won't have to worry about lighting- nature will provide it all for you. Think about what makes a child happy: toys, stuffed animals, puppets, candy. Use these props to your advantage when photographing children. Make sure to keep these types of things on hand that can be used at any time to capture the child's attention.
Tips to help are: The techniques used in most other fields of photography do not always apply in child photography. The phrase "hold it" or "freeze" carry very little weight with children. They typically do as they please and if they please. Your assignment is to anticipate what a child may be about to do and capture it.
Photographing children takes a special skill, as most children (depending on age) will not always do what you ask of them. As a photographer, you need to know and understand that children will not always be cooperative just because they are going to have their picture taken. Photographing children may require a great deal of imagination on your part to get them to do what you need in order to capture a great picture. Sometimes, you may have to trick them into doing what you want them to do. Use whatever means necessary to get the shots you need.
Know your stuff - Before you start booking sessions with children you must know exactly what you are capable of doing - what your camera is capable of doing - what all your equipment is capable of doing. Operating your camera and equipment must be second nature. Have your style of photography down pat, so when you start a session your mind is on the children). This takes your complete focus. This is not the time to be fiddling with you camera, or trying to figure out your light setup. Children take 100% of your concentration. For some children the entire shoot may only last 10 minutes - though you feel you have just run a marathon - so you have to be able to get in position , get the most cooperation from the child, get great shots. At times, this has to be done very quickly, BUT you cannot make the child feel they are being rushed.
When photographing children, expect anything and everything to happen. If you have a better understanding of the various behaviours of children at certain ages, it will go a long way to being able to capture the images you want thus increasing your financial gain. In addition, knowing what you can expect from a child at age two versus one at age five, will help in keeping your clients satisfied.
During a session photographing children you can get a variety of poses, expressions and antics. In no other field of photography are you liable to get such variety. The more you learn about little ones the better child photographer you will be. Children are not just children until they become adults -they come in all sizes. Between four months and four years you can place them into quite a few categories: 4-6 mos, 6-12 mos, 12-18 mos, 18-24 mos, and then you can lengthen out the age span. Awareness of these ages are needed to help you - the photographer - be aware of the limitations children (especially little ones) have.
While you may not appreciate having a child's parents in the studio (or location of the shoot), they can turn out to be extremely helpful in assisting you in capturing the types of photographs they are looking for. Parents will be able to tell you what to do [or not do] to get their child's attention and keep it. All of this knowledge can come in very handy given children are not very capable of sitting still for any great length of time.
Be ready with that camera when you first introduce something new -you do not get a second chance to get first reactions!
Forget about the use of a tripod in a photo session with a child- it will only get in the way especially as things start to happen quickly. Make sure your camera is on a fast shutter speed (to prevent blurring) at all times; you never know what a child is going to do next and you must be ready to capture it no matter what.
When photographing children, there is no need to take the standard picture (unless you are asked to do so by the parents). Be as creative as possible; photograph them on a horse, coming down the slide in a park, running after a ball. There are so many possibilities! The more experience you gain taking pictures of children the more you will know what works best for each child and each situation.
Take picture of one child is challenging enough, but sometimes, you are forced to deal with more than one. Siblings, cousins, twins, triplets are common subjects you will have to deal with. Don't panic! Admittedly, controlling more than one child can be difficult, but the key is to get all the subjects focused on one focal point before you take the picture. It can be very tricky, but with practice, you will learn it isn't impossible.
When capturing a child or children on film, get creative when trying to get their attention; use different techniques and use them quickly as you won't have the time to try again. Using a digital camera can help in this regard as there are no limits to the amount of exposures you can take and luckily, you can look at the pictures very quickly as you go.
Brothers and sisters can also play a vital role in your photography session with children. Siblings may actually be more successful than parents in getting their brother or sister to laugh, cry, smile, or make a funny face. Use the comfort level a child feels with their sibling to your best advantage and get the pictures you want. Another bonus to having sibling present, is that the parents may decide that they too should be photographed- all this means a bigger photo package for the client and more money for you!
The more advanced you become as a child photographer, you will need to include both a lighting set-up and backdrop in the pictures. Typically, a three-light set-up (consisting of a main light and back light) are the best way to go. If you are still a novice photographer, you can still take quality photos with less. You can experiment as you go, trying out what works best to eliminate certain things such as shadows [if using a backdrop].
Continue to use your creativity to its capacity when it comes to photographing children: don't stay in the studio unless you are required to. Try out different venues particularly outside. If you do, you won't have to worry about lighting- nature will provide it all for you. Think about what makes a child happy: toys, stuffed animals, puppets, candy. Use these props to your advantage when photographing children. Make sure to keep these types of things on hand that can be used at any time to capture the child's attention.
About the Author:
Did you enjoy this article? Curious about Dominating Digital Photography? Well now you can by reading this free Tutorial...what are you waiting for?
No comments:
Post a Comment