Here are the 10 tips I came up with, things that are simple, but can make an extraordinary difference, and it doesn't matter whether you have a $100 point and shoot or $5000 DSLR. Of course there are about a hundred thousands others I could add, but these were the first ten that sprung to my mind :)
1) It’s all about the eyes – set your focus for between a child’s eyes. Eyes that are out of focus can often spoil an otherwise great photograph. If a child is looking up at you (even slightly), it helps to capture the ‘catchlights’ in their eyes.
2)Restrict your use of flash – using flash can result in a ‘washed out look’, often with the subject being too light and the background being too dark. Use natural light wherever you can (eg. Light shining through a window). Just be careful – if you don’t have enough natural light and have the flash turned off, your images may be blurry.
3)Try different angles – photographing from a different perspective often results in more interesting, attractive photographs and can capture details otherwise not seen.
4)Smiles aren’t everything – many beautiful photographs are taken when a child isn’t smiling. Don’t automatically assume a child has to smile for a photograph to be ‘successful’. Children have many expressions, all of which are beautiful in their own ways and capture a different element of their personality.
5)Your child doesn’t have to look at the camera – while it is wonderful to have photos where your child’s eyes are gazing at the camera, photographs where a child is looking away/at someone else/into the distance or even down can be equally stunning.
6)Capture children in their own environment – letting children explore and enjoy the world around them often allows for amazing natural/candid photographs. You can really capture the essence and personality of your child if you are simply allowing them to ‘be’, rather than telling them what you want them to do. Including things like bubbles, toys and paint – or objects from the environment such as leaves, sticks, shells, playground equipment etc - can make for some interesting and unique photographs.
7)Keep the background simple – a simple background (or blurred background) allows the focus to remain on the subject/child, whereas a cluttered or ‘busy’ background can be distracting.
8)Try different compositions – instead of always having your subject in the middle of the photograph, try placing them to the side, or on a diagonal, etc. This will make your photographs more interesting. Follow the rule of thirds - imagine your photo is broken up into 9 squares - 2 vertical lines and 2 horizontal lines (you know, like in noughts and crosses) - and try placing your subject where you imagine the lines intersect (some cameras have these thirds visible on the screen).
9)Photograph outside early in the morning or late in the evening – the best times for outdoor photography are roughly between 7-10am and 4-6pm when sunlight is less harsh. Shooting in the middle of the day often results in harsh shadows (as well as those less-than-attractive squinty eyes).
10)Invest in some editing software – Editing your photographs can turn good photos into great photos. While programs like PhotoShop are often overwhelming and take quite a bit of time and practice to master, programs like Adobe Lightroom are very user friendly (though do not have as many features as PhotoShop).
{Nurtured} by Jen Photography
ABN: 80 527 365 766
nurturedbyjen@hotmail.com
Ph: 0423004946
By the way, I KNOW the format is shocking, and I do apologise...some photos were uploaded straight onto blogger and some from flickr, so it looks all messed up. Oops. The actual handout was a beautifully formatted word document ;)
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