Film is cheap, digital photography is free! Even when I’m photographing a model in a studio with controlled lighting, hair and make-up I still wouldn’t dream of just taking one picture. When photographing my children there are far too many factors that can go wrong and spoil the picture. Blinking, runny noses, dribble, looking the wrong way, food been shoved in ears and up noses, sudden crying because daddy has got his big camera out.
If I get the perfect picture from just pressing the button once it’s luck. Your children, apple of your eye they may be, very rarely do what they are told! Especially when it involves sitting still for the camera.
When working with children you have a very limited window of opportunity of between 30 seconds to 3 minutes before all ends in tears. Work out your shot before hand; take a couple of test pictures using a teddy or doll as a substitute for your child. This way you can check how the lighting looks and what the back is doing and the overall look of the picture, making any adjustments before you start the shoot for real.
Once your child is in place keep taking pictures, don’t review each picture on the camera screen after you’ve taken it as 1. Your child will want to see what you are all looking at. 2. It will eat into your window of opportunity. You and your partner/helper should work as a team, the photographer solely involved in getting the picture whilst the other is responsible for crowd control and model positioning.
When someone else is taking photos – as a parent always stand behind the camera / photographer, your child will always want to look at you so to ensure that your child is always looking towards the camera stand behind it. If you stand to one side saying, “Look at the camera” your child is only going to look at you!!
Missa inte den nya fototävlingen som du hittar här.