Photographing Children Photo Workshop

Develop Your Digital Photography Talent

Ginny Felch, Allison Tyler Jones

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN:
  9780470114322
• eBook ISBN:
  9780470335581
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Photography Techniques

While digital technology has made acceptable photos easy to achieve, this book is about taking exceptional photos that preserve the essence of childhood.You?ll learn to trust your instincts and your own unique vision and discover how to create beautiful photographs in a variety of lighting situations, all while sharpening your observation skills and learning how to involve your subjects. Plus, insightful tips on understanding what equipment is right for you will help you get great results when working with any age group.

CHAPTER 1

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN

© Jeff Woods / www.jwportraitlife.com.

Advice for the Aspiring Professional

Be Inspired

Resources for Inspiration

The Importance of Play

Photographing children is not for the faint of heart. Just ask any child photographer and you will hear enough stories about fussy newborns and stubborn toddlers that it might make you think twice about this genre of photography. Certainly, a bowl of fruit is much more cooperative than an 18-month-old. You can take your subject, set up the light just right, and spend all afternoon working the angles for the perfect shot of fruit. Not so with children.

Subject to every whim of the children they photograph, the children’s photographer must be part Pied Piper, part parent, part psychologist, and, oh yes, part photographer. Making images of children can tax you in every possible way. Chasing them is a physical workout, while trying to coax a 2-year-old (or a 14-year-old, for that matter) to see things your way takes every psychological skill in your arsenal. Add to all this the technical challenges of learning photography in general and your camera in particular, and you might feel like giving up before you even start.

While photographing children may not be the easiest hobby or way to make a living, it might turn out to be one of the most rewarding adventures you ever pursue. Children simply are the most fascinating subjects. For example, young children haven’t learned to be guarded and self-conscious; every thought and mood is right on their faces, which makes for images with great expression. Sometimes, you lift your camera at just the right moment, the planets align, and you get a shot of something so amazing that all the rest of it falls away and you realize that you are in love with photographing children.

Parent or professional, being successful at children’s portraiture requires you to get seriously in touch with your inner child, and to reach deep and find out what really inspires you both visually and emotionally. This chapter explores what you should know when beginning the journey into photographing children and offers a starting point for inspiration.

ADVICE FOR THE ASPIRING PROFESSIONAL

Judging by the popularity of digital cameras these days, it’s apparent that photography has become an international pastime, if not a downright obsession. Prices and availability have made cameras more affordable than ever, and technology continues to enable point-and-shoot technology that results in amazingly good exposures. Even the camera in your phone can turn out a decent image. What is it, then, that pushes one over the edge to want to become a professional photographer, to make images that are better than the rest, good enough to be called, dare we say it...art? Has being a photographer been a lifetime dream? Or have the improving photographs of your own children caused friends and neighbors to ask if you’ll photograph their kids? Do you have a true love for and patience with children? Are you willing to put up with a shy child who doesn’t want to leave their mother’s side as in 1-1 or do you have the patience to wait for a newborn to fall asleep in her father’s arms?

Figure 1-1

ABOUT THIS PHOTO Children can be among the most challenging and rewarding of photographic subjects. 1/250 second, f/3.5 at ISO 100. ©Allison Tyler Jones / www.atjphoto.com

Note

Perhaps you only have a point-and-shoot camera — this is fine; this is enough. Don’t be intimidated by all of the latest advances and technology. The advent of digital photography will allow you to be more successful, more quickly than ever before. You will know when you need to advance, but to start all you need is a camera and a kid.

Before you dive head-first into the business of photography, think about what draws you in and what your aspirations are as a photographer. Taking time to evaluate your goals and motivations will inform every decision, whether it’s the type of equipment you need or the kind of business you want to have.

Ask yourself questions such as

• Are you happy simply recording your immediate and extended family history and your friends’ lives?
• Do you love to find the beauty and complexity in things around you?
• Who are you and where are you now as a photographer?
• Do you have enough technical skill to feel confident charging for your services or do you have a passion to photograph children but it’s still more of a hobby at this point?

If you are considering photographing children as your career and don’t feel a draw or some sense of enchantment toward little ones, you would be much better off finding another subject or specialty.

Quote

“A photographer’s work is given shape and style by his personal vision. It is not simply technique, but the way he looks at life and the world around him.” ~Pete Turner, More Joy of Photography by Eastman

A NOTE TO PARENTS

A large percentage of photographers who decide to photograph children, either as a hobby or a vocation, do so when they become parents. Suddenly nothing is more profound than nurturing and observing your perfect and beautiful creation. Watching his or her every move and expression, the softness of the cheeks, and the miraculous achievements made each day is awe-inspiring. Using the downtime with a baby or young child and taking advantage of the miraculous moments helps you begin to really see this child. Morning light through the window, sleepy eyes, and grateful smiles suddenly become your favorite subject. Maybe you are a new parent now reading this book for ideas on ways to better capture your own child. Relax and enjoy the pleasure of making simple and spontaneous images of your child.

Who has a better potential to photograph your child than you? If you’ve ever taken your child to a mass-merchant photo studio to have his or her picture taken you know that those photographers aren’t exactly tuned in to the individual child. As a parent, you have the inside track on your child’s expressions, moods, and quirks. You have access to your child 24 hours a day allowing you to document the full range of activities, interests, and expressions.

But don’t forget, your child also has the inside track on you. Somehow, kids just know how to push their parents’ buttons, and a friendly photo shoot can go from, “Come on over here sweetie and let’s take your picture” to “Stop touching your brother! Do you want a timeout?” Before you know it, you’re ready to send them all to their rooms all because you wanted a nice photo for you to remember how much you love your kids.

And so, a caution to all parents out there. Remember why you’re taking these photos in the first place. Be patient with those little ones (even when they aren’t so little anymore). When you’re first learning about photography you can be so worried about “getting the shot” that you forget to be in the moment with your child. Maybe you could photograph the neighbor’s kids and she could photograph yours one time. You know you’ll be nicer to her kids than you are to your own.

BE INSPIRED

Whether photographing children for fun or profit, paying attention to your creative journey, past and present, helps you develop your own individual style or signature. That signature enables you to create more captivating, inspiring, and authentic photographs.

If you ask ten people to photograph the same child in t...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Title
• Copyright
• About the Authors
• Credits
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Art of Photographing Children
• Chapter 2: The Look of a Photograph
• Chapter 3: Seeing the Light
• Chapter 4: Manipulating the Light
• Chapter 5: Composing Photographs
• Chapter 6: What’s Your Style?
• Chapter 7: Evoking Expression and Emotion
• Chapter 8: Ages, Stages, and Groups
• Chapter 9: Equipment for the Children’s Photographer
• Chapter 10: Post-Production and Presentation
• Glossary
• Index