Photographing Children: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Dear Steemians!

Children grow up so fast and you only get a few short years before they’re starting school, finishing school, and off to find work or go to university. You have to seize the moment and start snapping pictures today!

Some of the motivation for me to learn photography came from wanting to take good photos of my family. Now that I have a baby on the way, I wanted to share some of the tips that I’ve found worked for me when taking photos of children.

Get down to the Child’s level

Many people fail to consider the angle of their shot. In comparison to your size versus the size of your subject you will always dominant the frame from the angle generally used. Downward angles are a no-no. If you work with children in say early education, kindergarten, or even just babysitting, they always teach, in Australia, to communicate with the child at their level. Taking a photo from their level is basically the same idea: we respect the subject by keeping the frame level and the feeling from the angle of the frame becomes equalised. It is essential that you basically lie down on the job to get down to the child’s level.

Join in the Fun

Taking photos of children is easy if you allow them to play and just lie back and capture the action. The mistake many people make is to set up the children in awkward positions while you fiddle with the camera. This makes your subject uncomfortable and this discomfort will carry through the frame to your image. Remember once the shoot is over and you’re at home, memories fade and all that is left is the photo itself. Emotions multiply after the shoot because you only have the photo to look at.

Joining in the fun is a far better alternative. Whatever the type of play is happening, join it and find a great shot while doing so. For instance, here we’re in the pool and I’m in the pool with the camera. It didn’t get wet and we all had a get time with fantastic results. These photos are some of my favourites. I’ve told the children that splashing is fine but not at me and it worked quite well.

Use a High Shutter Speed

Children are fast. So fast that you’re going to have to use at least (maybe even higher) somewhere of 1000/sec to get still photos of children. I tend to turn up the ISO as I turn up the shutter so that I have more control over the aperture. The aperture controls depth and you want to be generous with depth because of the amount of motion of your subject. The use of the auto-focus also benefits from higher f-stops (like f-8 or f-11) because the camera finds it easier to focus at higher apertures (at least I’ve found that’s the case with my D3300). For running children or children playing with water and you want to freeze the action, use as high as you can. When I was shooting Shinkansen (Bullet Trains) rushing past a station platform I was using about 1600/sec to freeze their motion. Although this might seem excessive in comparison, try it and see what results you get.

Get Them to Make Faces

Children love making faces. Allowing them to enjoy their time in front of the camera will mean that after they make the face they will switch back to a joyful smile. Shocked, surprised, angry, crazy, - all kinds of faces – all cause the same effect: a few silly faces in sequence and then they have a laugh about it which gives you a lovely expression. Each of these moments are a great opportunity for photography.

Have Props at the Ready

Props like toys make great additions to any photo. The joy gained from seeing the toys is evident in the child’s eyes and it will give you a better photo. Choosing toys that are easy to find after the shoot is finished is also handy because you will generally have to collect them when playtime is over.

Choose a Child and Photographer Friendly Location

Playgrounds might sound like great places to take more professional photos of children but you must be careful. Other parents will be there with their children and they will swarm the play equipment. If you’re shooting with a DSLR you’re going to stand out. Other parents might not be comfortable with you snapping away. Worst case scenario, and I’ve heard stories, the police were called. Choosing a location that will benefit both you and the child will save you a lot of headache. I’ve never taken photos at playgrounds unless they were completely empty and even then, there’re no guarantees.

Thanks for reading :) As always, questions, comments, and polite feedback most welcome :)