Photography Tips for Perfect Children’s Photos

When it comes to your little ones and taking their photo, it can be a challenging task. We’ve spoken to Red Cloud Photography and come up with seven top photography tips to make taking your child’s photo easier and more successful. Read on to find out how.

 Be Ready

 

This is almost a given, but be ready for anything with children! Expect the unexpected and be ready to shoot it. Have the right lens on your camera, make sure your settings are all good and ready to go. Be ready technically, and in all other aspects.

Have Patience

When photographing children sometimes you will get nothing for the first half an hour of the shoot, the child may be may be shy to start, or not engaged, just take it steady and build a rapport.

 Have Fun!

Approach the shoot from the perspective of having fun and not one of getting the best images. The second will be a product of the first.

 Get Down on their Level

When photographing children you have to get down to their level. Taking photos from an adult perspective makes them look even smaller. Getting down to their level puts you on more of an equal ground. Sit or kneel on the floor with them, don’t stand over them looking down. Get down to their level literally, and figuratively.

 Be Quick

Working with children requires you to be on your feet and fast, sometimes you won’t be able to keep up. If you have a reasonable amount of light it’s best to use a shutter speed of 1/250 which has the effect of freezing the action (although you can use a slower speed if you use a flash). A shallow depth of field will keep the child in focus, therefore it’s advisable to use and aperture of f/5 or lower if light permits.  Catching photographs of children in action can create some spectacular images that reflect their vitality and energy.

 Catch the Expression

Not all children will smile for the camera so focus on gaining expressive images that represent the nature of the child. A great way to get a good expression and pose from a child is to ask them to think about something in particular or get them to talk about their friends, pets, favourite game or toy.

 Be Yourself

Children love to be treated with respect and so if you respect them, act like yourself and have fun your photo shoot will be a guaranteed success.

Want some tips on how to take better photos or photos of a specific thing? Learn with Red Cloud Photography during one of their many photography introduction classes.

Images: RLD and Red Cloud Photography.