PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN

This is the summary of the four series post on photographing children. For more details and some more photographs, see the link to individual article of the series at the end of this.

Children being lively and active, make great subjects for photography. Their good company makes the whole activity of photographing them an enjoyable exercise. Like in most areas for photography, getting familiar with the subject, looking for the right composition, good lighting and many other factors play important role in photographing children too.

GET THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

A 50mm lens will do fine for studio photographs, or when you are shooting up close with a kid familiar to you, or when you make the kid pose for you. But when you want to catch them in a group, when playing or in any activity, it is important to stay away and not disturb them. This requires a telephoto lens. A 70-200mm lens would do just fine.


(Image from Canon website)

GET FAMILIAR WITH THE CHIDREN


Children can be shy at first

You can start photographing children you know very well. It could be your own kid, niece or a friend's daughter. Familiar children make good learning subjects. Even when you are shooting outside, it is important to talk to them and make them comfortable with you if you are looking for portraits. Take plenty of sample shots and make them get used to the camera. Eventually they may start ignoring the camera aimed at them and be their natural self. This is when you get your best photographs.

CATCH THEM SMILING


Catch them laughing or smiling

Children have great smile, even when they have broken teeth. They smile and laugh naturally, without any inhibitions that make the photographs very lively. Again, talk to them and get them to smile. Show them their photographs on the LCD that could make them happy. Or catch them smiling when they are playing, when they see something or when they are in a group of their own kind.


Catch them laughing or smiling

CATCH THEM IN ACTION


Catch them involved in some activity

Look for children playing or involved in some activity. When they are playing, they are usually completely immersed in their game and are hardly bothered about anything else. But make sure you are at a distance and your presence doesn’t disturb them. Also catch them in other activities. For example, children in Buddhist countries look great when they are praying.

CATCH THEM WITH THEIR COMPANIONS


Catch them having a good time with friends

Shoot them when they are with others, like their friends, siblings, mother, grand parents or someone close to them. You can often catch the intimate moments when the child is with elders. If they are with friends or siblings, look for an enthusiastic moment, or if not, even a fight will do just fine!

LOOK FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT

Always wait for the right moment, like a good smile(or even a frown), an intimate moment, an expression of curiosity or other expressions you can frequently see in a kid. And when you find it, it is important to be ready to shoot. Have your camera aimed and ready. Take your time and never hurry to take a picture and get moving. Best shots will take time and effort, but they are worth it.

LINKS

Below are the individual entries of the four part series on photographing children. You can see more pictures and details in each of these posts. You can also see a few larger sized photographs in my image gallery's portraits section.

1. Photographing children - I
2. Photographing children - II
3. Photographing children - III
4. Photographing children - IV