Children Photo Shot

Your gear. Because of the reasons mentioned above: kids are unpredictable, you need to move fast to not miss the shot. In ambient lighting you need to be very familiar with your digital camera.

To take the best photos of children , you’ll probably need to invest in a Digital SRL camera so that you can use a fast lens. Fast lenses will give your the best results for this type of assignment. The double benefit of a fast lens are:

• It allows you to work in low or ambient light situation
• It also allows fast focus to not miss that “very” moment

Click to check out Dan’s Guide to Digital Photography to learn how to take great photos

Use central focus point. My recommendation would be to use the central focus point.

If you’re shooting with a digital SLR (single lens reflex) then use the old but accurate central focus point and re-frame the photo. Despite all the technologies built into the auto-focus systems in modern D-SLR, I still find that the most accurate way is still the one where you are in control, you choose where to focus and not let the machine decide for you.

Shoot in burst mode. Unlike film era, memories are now cheap with digital camera so shoot in RAW (most D-SLR allow this mode) and take several shots of each sequence. You’ll find out that most of the time, the keepers (the actual photos that you will keep) are the second or third frame of the sequence.

Be aware to not run out of buffer (once again know your camera). You can take as many shots as you like, but if you run out of buffer when comes the decisive moment, you’ll miss the shot.

Buffer is the actual built-in memory that will store the photos in order to record them into your memory card. Usually the buffer is about 9 frames (Canon 5D in RAW mode) to 110 frames (Canon 1D Mark III in standard JPEG mode).

Click to check out Dan’s Guide to Digital Photography to learn how to take great photos

Composition. To get the most of the session you might want to combine different composition and framing. Alternate between close-up shots and wide angle shots. You might also want to take close-ups of parts of the baby. Hands and feet are very popular. Get down to the child’s eye level so that your shots can capture the most of the scene. You can also dress him up for more formal photos.

As with portraits, take some photos applying basic rules like rule of third and for others just let your imagination guide you. Make the child laugh, smile, look at you and look away. Entertain him and you’ll get nice shots.

If you use a digital SLR camera then put it on aperture priority so you can open wide and have a nice blurry background. Your child will stand out on the photo. If you use a compact camera check if you have the portrait mode and use it to take children photos.

Backdrop. In general I would prefer something plain as backdrop so your child will stand out from the background on the photo. Cluttered backdrop creates distraction to the eyes and in children photography it’s better to avoid that.

If you are looking for a great guide to learn how to take beautiful photos with your camera I strongly recommend you check Dan’s guide out. This guide is very easy to read and to apply. You’ll take great photos in every situation in no time.

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