Photographing Children - Practical Methods For Professional Quality Portraits

People often ask me ‘How do you do it? How do you get them to stand still/all look at the camera at the same time/pose just the way you want them to?’ The answer is, I don’t!

The idea behind taking a photograph is to capture a moment in time, to freeze it so that it becomes a record we can share and recollect for years to come. And it is the nature of childhood to be exuberant, joyous, exploring, belligerent at times, and yes…disagreeable when you point a camera at them. It is these moments you want to capture, full of life, of the essence that makes you children who they are, not static head shots and cheesy smiles. The cheeky exchanges between siblings, the wild abandon of nakedness under a sprinkler, the muddy fingers and streaked faces from making mud pies, these are the memories you will cherish long after the shutter has clicked. So, as a first rule of thumb, don’t try to mold your children into a likeness you will not recognise down the track as being true to the moment.

Having said that, there is a knack to capturing the moment in a way that renders it a work of art rather than a snapshot. You do not need fancy camera equipment to achieve this, but you do need an eye for composition, and above all, an awareness of the lighting, where it is falling, what it is emphasizing and how your camera will respond to it.

Most automatic point and shoot cameras come with shooting modes that you can set according to the image you wish to capture. These cameras work on a series of presets so that you don’t have to worry about the technical aspects. In my experience most people leave it on automatic and hope for the best. Take the time to read the manual. It’s as simple as understanding that in night mode, the camera will slow the shutter speed to allow as much light as possible; in portrait mode, it will open the aperture to blur the background a little. These basic understandings will begin to make a vast improvement to your images.

The next important factor is the light, and how to work with it. If you have the capability, turn off the camera’s automatic flash and look for natural light where possible. Be aware that the camera’s in built exposure meter will be working to accommodate the ambient light. If you stand your children in front of the light source and point the camera to them, the light streaming in from behind will ‘trick’ the camera into believing there is a lot of light, and it will adjust accordingly by dimming the exposure. There will be too much variation between the brightness behind the subject, and the light on the subject, resulting in a dark subject against a bright background. The obvious fix to this is to turn the children around, in that time honored tradition of keeping the light behind the photographer, shining onto the subject. This does address the problem of exposure, but the result is often deep shadows in eye sockets and squinting expressions.

So, a catch 22? Yes, in some ways, but there are things you can do to minimise these issues. For a start, choose the time of day carefully. Early morning or late afternoon will provide a much softer light source and avoid harsh shadows. On cloudy days, the clouds act as a huge softbox, diffusing the harshness of the light and providing for optimum shooting conditions. Also seek ways to diffuse the light, bring children up to windows indoors to put light on them without direct sun, or look for open shady areas under verandahs or trees.

Next, think about the posing and composition. Achieving natural unposed shots is not about guesswork and pot luck. Snapping children randomly at play is likely to result in half turned faces, or limbs in the way of the shot. But snapping children blowing bubbles, eating strawberries, holding a kite or umbrella…all of these things provide a focus, keep the children busy and give you time to really set up the shot you want.

Finally, have fun!

© Janine Guidera 2008