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Photographers
Photo Tips from The Top NYC Kid's Photographers |
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Make it fun and playful. Shooting photos should be more about being in the moment and having a shared experience….great photos will follow.
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Personalize photos with things that reflect your child’s personality - special toys or stuffed animals, a favorite book, PJs, etc.
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Make sure your child is wearing comfortable and familiar clothes – new clothes may be itchy or cause discomfort.
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Don't worry about the perfect shot or the perfect smile. We think the most beautiful shots are the ones the capture your kids doing what they normally do.
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Don't force your kids to be in a picture they do not want to be in. There will be plenty of other opportunities.
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Have your pictures printed in the best lab you can find. Printing is just as important as capturing your child naturally.
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PLAY PEEK-A-BOO – Play Peek-A-Boo behind your camera with young children and babies. It usually makes children laugh naturally. It also allows you to make eye contact with your child while they are focusing in the direction of the camera and it is FUN! Just remember to keep the camera still when you snap the shot to avoid blurry photos. It might take a couple of tries!
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USE MIRRORS – All children love looking at themselves in the mirror. They react in different ways at different ages, and it is great to capture those expressive reflections in photos. It can also be challenging. Just remember that a flash will create a bright light reflection in the mirror, so turn it off.
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SEE EXAMPLES – The pictures here are examples of these tips (‘play peek-a-boo’ and ‘use mirrors’) in practice.
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When photographing your kids, the most important thing to do is to get closer to your kids - and kneel down to their eye level. The viewpoint becomes so much more intimate, plus you'll get to capture their incredible facial expressions at the center of the composition.
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Turn off your flash! Use as much natural available light as possible. If you have a couch next to a window - let that window light stream in and take your pictures close to the window. Setup a drawing table next to the window and photograph your kids holding the wonderful colors of the crayons and their coloring book. Let that natural window light bath your kids in afternoon sun and capture their artist facial expressions. Or simply have them sit near the window frame and capture the sunlight sparkle in their eye and get real close to capture their eye lashes - you'll be surprised at how much fun that can be
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- Be totally ready before your child is on the scene. Expressions happen fast. Load your camera with a big memory card (at least 4 gigs) and completely charged batteries so you can snap away when your child finally flashes you that perfect smile.
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Toys always help. Don’t just have them on hand, dangle them in front of the camera. It’s a great trick for getting your child to look right at you.
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Two words: Bubble machine. It’s our secret weapon. A sure attention-getter for kids of all ages!
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- Instead of having your kids say “cheese” or “smile” when taking a picture try to engage in a brief conversation that gets your child excited. Ask them something like, “whats your favorite candy?” or “tell me what you did at school today” – this I more likely to get a genuine smile
- Let the kids move around and when its time to snap the picture say something that will grab their attention or say something to get them to look your way like “oh look at the bird on my head” or make a silly face or noise.
- Have Fun! The less stressed you get when taking a picture of the kids or the family, the more fun you and your kids will have. Don’t pressure your kids to smile or sit still because the best photos usually come when least expected
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Don't force your child to say cheese! Instead, try to capture your child's natural expressions and true spirit.
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Remember to document the everyday moments, and not just the big milestones. Take a snapshot of his little shoes next to daddy's so you will always remember how little his feet were, the excitement on her face before her first dance class (and not just first dance recital), or even your child reading quietly reading their favorite book.
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Anticipate moments. You may know the subtle ways your child’s face changes just before a big smile or other terrific expression. Try to snap the photo just before that perfect look. With digital camera delays, this will ensure you capture the moment
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Keep it simple. Be aware of what is surrounding your subject. If there are lots of distracting elements behind your child, try standing to a different side of your little one. Some nice simple backgrounds: open sky, a quiet sidewalk, grass or distant trees, a solid wall or backdrop.
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Be flexible. Ultimately, it’s your child who will decide when it’s time for his or her close up. Don’t push taking photos when your child is not in the mood, and have a camera ready when he or she is. When the time is right, have fun creating those special images together!
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- When photographing babies, concentrate on their changing expressions as you prompt them with different sounds or facial expressions you are sure to get a response. Have the camera ready as you coax them, the expressions can be brief!
- Try to make picture taking fun for children three and older . You may find that starting at age three, children are more self conscious and your child's smile may be a bit forced. The most reliable words to encourage those beautiful happy smiles and laughs you want to capture is to tell them not to smile or laugh. This works every time!
- If you need to use flash, try covering the flash with a piece of tissue, this will soften the light but still freeze the subtle movements as well as giving the eyes a little catch light. The results will be photographs that are crisp and well lit. This is especially beautiful when there is sun outdoors or flooding in through a window behind your child, it creates a well exposed photo with a hair light like a halo.
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- From the beginning make the photo shoot a fun activity. let the child act him/herself. The photos will be genuine if you engage them and make them laugh instead of forcing them to sit or stand in one place while flashing fake smiles.
- Have fun with photo-worthy props and fun, colorful comfortable clothing. a great scarf, boots or a fun hat will adds depth to your photographs.
- Always shoot in natural light, either outdoors or indoors in a room that gets good light to avoid using a flash.
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- Meet your little subject eye to eye. See your surroundings from their perspective. Sometimes this means sitting on your knees, or lying on your belly!
- Capture candid moments. It's great to get that shot of your child looking right at the camera and smiling. But, it's also wonderful to capture the candid moments- laughing, crying, sleeping, playing, etc. Recommended reading: Camera Ready, How to Shoot Your Kids by legendary Vogue photographer (and my mentor) Arthur Elgort. This book is full of gorgeous photos of Elgorts three children, and expert advice.
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- Think in series. Getting good shots of kids is a bit of a numbers game, so don't automatically throw away the shots of your kids' backsides, blurry shots or those that are cut off. If you think in threes or fives, chances are you'll see several shots that work out like this: a. running from the side, b. looking straight at the camera, c. running away. You can print and frame them individually, or get triptych frames at Pottery Barn or Bed, Bath & Beyond.
- Deliberately get in close.Even though you might be battling shutter delay on a point-and-shoot, get in close. If you're shooting on auto (and who isn't?), you never know quite where the camera will focus. This can give you some abstract shots where maybe just an eye is in focus and the rest of the image is in soft focus. These shots can be very unique, abstract and beautiful.
- Take advantage of online photo labs cropping options. Ok, so you might not be able to shoot as tight as you wanted, but your online photo lab will probably let you crop in on your photos. Be sure to set your camera on the largest jpeg so you'll have plenty of pixels to work with. I use Adorama's online lab and their cropping process works great!
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Get Down! When photographing babies, children (pets, too) - it's important to get down to their level and shoot them at eye-level. The result? Life-like images that are realistic and creative
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Keep a digital camera in every room (or area) of your home. When your baby ends up with a bowl of spaghetti on his head, you'll want to capture it as it happens. It's a small investment that's well worth it.
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When photographing your kids, just have fun! Don't worry about getting the "perfect shot." 9 out of 10 times, the best shot will come when you least expect it. (As with all good things in life.) :)
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I think everything in life is perspective and how we all choose to view it. I think children think the same way. So, in saying that, don't make the camera a taboo scary thing that they are not allowed to touch, etc. I think a lot of parents, scared that it will break, freak out when a child touches a camera and then when they hold it in front of their face expect them to smile! This might not make sense to kids. When I do a shoot, I let the children very carefully hold my camera and take pictures if they want. Set guidelines and explain that it is not a toy, but don't make the camera something that has a negative reaction associated with it.
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Obviously, getting to their level etc. is great, but in doing so, change the way that you might traditionally take a photo--don't worry about always centering their face, don't worry about positioning them, etc. I have found that the best photos are in fun, unexpected positions. Try lying them on the bed and standing over them, or, placing them on daddy's back or sitting on his shoulders and see what really cute things come from that--these are when the best moments happen. When all else fails--call me!
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- Always have help--Enlist your spouse, a friend or sibling to stand just camera-side and jiggle, wiggle, make noises and sing your child's favorite songs while you watch the magic through the lens and click away!
- Be sure to allow for mini-breaks in between spurts of shooting, let the kiddo do his/her thing--if you are patient and allow for snacking, nursing, or even a quick nap, you'll find yourself with a happy, playful subject who loves the camera!
- If shooting with a digital camera, let the kids see a few images on the back of the camera. I have found with older kids especially that this allows them to feel like a part of the experience, and yields better pictures.
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