Do Your Family Make The Most Willing Photographic Subjects?
Childhood whizzes by in a flash, so make sure you collect as many memories as possible with these family photography tips!
As parents, we want to be able to catalogue every second of childhood, not just because we can nowadays with excellent smartphone cameras and affordable DSLRs at our disposal, but also because the golden rule of having kids is … childhood goes so fast! But photographing kids isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Have you ever come away from a professional photoshoot with your family fearing the worst as your kids have screamed throughout the entire experience, only to be amazed by the beaming sunny grins that are displayed in your proofs when you receive them? Professional photographers have a number of tricks up their sleeves to help them achieve these fantastic shots.
Getting Down To Their Level
If you can encourage children to look directly into the camera, then you’ll be halfway to pulling off the perfect shot, as you’re achieving an instant connection between your subject and the lens. Unfortunately, not all children have the faintest idea about where to look, with some looking to the left, right, above you or at anyone else in the room instead of the actual lens. With toddlers or small children, you can get right down to their level which really encourages them to focus on the camera. You can even ask them if they’re able to see anything in the lens – can they see their own reflection? Or perhaps a dinosaur, a unicorn or any treasure in there? As soon as you start provoking their imagination, you’ll get the best out of your subjects!
Newborns Require Extra Prep
Newborns can be a little more challenging to photograph as you won’t be able to win them over with any jokes or bribery! Instead, you need to make sure that your baby is in a calm, relaxed state. As a parent, you’ll know the best times to photograph your child. It’s usually worth doing so when your child is fully fed and content, perhaps earlier in the morning rather than later in the afternoon when the witching hour tends to kick in. Close-up tummy time shots can be really effective, but if your baby isn’t a fan it’s probably not worth winding her up! A fun bathtime can also make for some happy, splashing photos. If all else fails, pictures of your sleeping baby are genuinely beautiful, particularly if you use a macro lens to zoom in on detail such as long eyelashes, or those tiny hands and feet whilst lying next to Daddy.
Natural Shots
You can never have too many photos of your family, and it can actually help your kids to warm up to the camera if you photograph them regularly. As well as posed shots, try to take plenty of natural snaps too. Whether you have just one child, or a whole bunch of them, blend into the background whilst they’re happily playing and snap away when they’re knee-deep in sand, or have their faces covered in jam sandwiches. These natural interactions are the ones you’ll want to remember when you’re looking back at these years.
The right camera is an important factor in determining the quality of your photos and it pays to invest in a professional name such as Nikon, Canon or Sony among others. If you’re looking for an affordable model, you might visit a reputable sell my Nikon camera platform which offers quality used devices that are as good as new! Whichever model you choose, be sure to take as many photographs as possible. You won’t get this time back, but you can at least keep a beautiful collection of memories!