Can you believe there are only 3 hours left in this contest? It is hard to believe how fast this week has gone! I am really going to miss having such a full inbox- it makes me feel so important:) But before it ends, I wanted to share a few insights into the sessions of this years contestants.
I am often asked how I manage to capture the images that I capture. Sometimes these questions come from aspiring photographers or parents who simply want to take better pictures of their kids. But most often I get this question from clients who are sometimes surprised that I managed to capture a smile of their beloved 2 year old when the smiles seemed few and far between during their session or a sleeping shot of a newborn that didn’t want to sleep during their photo shoot:) So I wanted to share a few important tips of how I captured the following images.
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Tip #1- Posing can be a good thing!
Especially with older children, posing does not necessarily mean sitting with your fist propped up under the chin Uncle Rico stlye. I like to always make sure to pose kids in ways that are comfortable and natural- then I just interact with them to make them forget that they are being photographed:) Miss Isabella here is a perfect example- posed without looking uncomfortable.
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Tip #2- Watch minor details
Sometimes the smallest things can make a difference in a photo- this is particularly true with newborns. I had sweet little Savannah here in one of my favorite newborn poses but what I love most about this photo is the way that her cute little fingers are poking out from under her chin. Tiny details like that can make all the difference in a portrait.
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Tip #3- Newborn are best au naturale
This one is pretty obvious- about 99.9% of the babies I photograph are naked. Why? Newborns are born with the most amazing tiny features- tiny fingernails, wrinkled feet, even that beautiful soft hair all over their bodies. The only way to capture all these little details is to get rid of all that clothing- it never fits properly when they are so young anyway:)
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Tip #4- Toddlers + tasteful props= Total success
Parents to toddlers can probably relate to this experience- you go to take a photo of your little one only to find that by the time you snap the photo they have left the frame completely resulting in a photo of a blurry head or a lone foot in the bottom corner. I can definitely relate- toddlers are by far the most difficult age to photograph, so here is my big tip: use a prop. I am not talking about plastic plants and rocks, but something that will keep them entertained for a few moments. Some common props I use to keep the fast and furious 2-3 year olds busy are chairs, containers (baskets/buckets), and even lollipops. As long as the prop isn’t tacky, it can really add to the photo and buy you a little extra time with that precious little toddler. Olivia here is a great example- had I not had this little red chair, she probably wouldn’t have given me the time of day. But she loved this little chair and as a result we got lots of great shots of her- in focus with all ligaments in the frame!
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Tip #5- Be playful
I know I have talked about this on the blog here before, but the best way to get natural photos of kids is to play with them. Over the years I have gotten very good at making a game out of everything (a tactic that I use quite often in parenting my children as well!). Kids can really relax if you just play with them- and get them to play with each other. Here, I asked Emma and Kate who could give the best hugs and tightest squeezes. They loved this idea and you can see it in their faces- look at those adorable natural smiles!
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Tip #6- Try a new angle
This is a tip I continually have to remind myself to do. Sometimes at a shoot I get stuck in a rut of taking images in the same orientation. But just switching the orientation a little can totally transform the composition of an image. For example, with baby Will here, I started out taking a lot of horizontal photos, trying to get his head to foot in the frame. But by simply rotating my camera 90 degrees, I got a whole different shot, with the focus just on his face. So try different angles- horizontal, vertical and even tilted!
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Tip #7- Watch that back ground!
This is one of the things that took me quite a while to learn, but I can now say that I am 100% OBSESSIVE when it comes to backgrounds. I will spot the tiniest of things in a background- a paint splatter on a wall, a Frisbee lying on the ground 40 yard behind my subject, a light socket or a parents toe in the left of the frame. Things have gotten so bad that I literally cannot take a snapshot of my own children without obsessing about what is in the background. Kind of sad, I know. Luckily my husband does not have this problem and can take the important snapshots of our children. But when you want a nice portrait, this sad skill is actually pretty important. In the following shot of Patrick, you cannot see the parked car just off to the left or the ADT sign just to the right in the greenery. By watching my shooting angle and deliberately excluding those things, the focus stays on sweet little Patrick and the eye is not drawn to some other distraction.
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Tip #8- Watch for unexpected moments
Perhaps you have noticed my tendency to fall in love with shots like this- I recently noticed that several of my favorite shots are of children looking down at something that has captured their attention. Well this shot of Eliza Grace is definitely one of them. Of course I do love a good eye contact shot and a heartfelt smile, but I also try to watch for golden moments that are not quite as obvious. Eliza here was simply counting her little flowers, but I love the concentrated look on her face. You can see that nothing else matters to her at that moment but her little flowers. And I love that!
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Tip #9- Keep them warm
Number one tip when photographing a newborn- keep them warm! Warm babies are comfortable and sleepy. So be sure the temp in the home is at least 75 degrees. Though I was sweating bullets here, Little Brody here was nice and comfy his whole session and as a result we got lots of great shots.
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Tip #10- Find the best light
If I was asked what the #1 most important thing in creating a beautiful portrait was I would hands down say the LIGHTING! Backgrounds, clothing, props, location- those are all secondary. A well lit photo is what makes a professional photo, in my opinion. And as I almost exclusively use natural light, sometimes finding good light takes some searching. Baby Luca here was snuggled right up to a window to light up those beautiful features. So look in unexpected places for good light- near windows, in front of open doorways or outside in full shade are some great options.
Hopefully you found some of these tips helpful and will keep them in mind the next time you are out taking photos of your babies or kids. And just remember that the most important thing is that you are taking those photos, documenting these years in your children’s lives that will be gone before you know it. So happy picture taking, everyone!
Contest results coming up tomorrow morning…
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