Making a touching photo session with children in nature is easier than it seems. Photo: ljhollowayphotography.com [ad_1]
A family photo session with children can be a real test of strength. But making beautiful shots of young models is much easier than it seems. It is important to correctly set the light, choose the lens, interest and choose the right shooting point. About how to correctly and beautifully photograph a child, they told in this material.
Making a touching photo session with children in nature is easier than it seems. Photo: ljhollowayphotography.comnewborns
Children under 5
How to photograph children under 12
Shooting with teenagers
Do you need styling for a photo shoot with children?
newborns
How can you photograph babies? Today it is fashionable to take cute and atmospheric photographs, where very tiny children in baskets, on soft bedspreads sleep or lie curled up. Such photo shoots are called newborn.
Why are photographs of a sleeping child more often?
- At this age, they still can not pose. During sleep, it is easier to put them correctly.
- Babies look cute in their sleep.
At a photo session with a newborn, there must be parents who will control the process and the safety of their baby. Photo: stylefemale.comTips:
– 7–14 days is the optimal time for the first photo session. At this time, they sleep a lot, are less active;
- optimally dress the newborn, feed him and wait until he falls asleep. Thanks to this, you can change him sleeping several times. And the baby will not be capricious;
- focus on the mood. If the baby does not feel well, is not in a good mood, is crying, it is better to reschedule the shooting;
- if there are several outfits, the most difficult one is put on first. The farther, the more everyone will get tired, in the end it is better to leave the simplest clothes;
- choose clothes, surfaces (pillow, blanket) are soft. If the objects are prickly, hard, it will bother the baby;
- the background is better to choose a solid, pastel color, so that it does not draw all the attention to itself;
- accessories should not be too much. Better one or two accents, in the same color scheme;
- Place your head higher than your legs. And the shooting itself is often carried out from the side of the head, so that the legs are not closer to the lens and the proportions do not seem strange;
- it is best to shoot full face or a little from above to show how comfortable the baby is in his makeshift cocoon / crib, etc .;
- turn on white noise on your phone (there are special applications). It will help to relax and calm the baby;
- Shooting can be made more interesting. For example, we photograph a child by months (once a month 1 photo), then we collect it into a large collage. Parents, grandparents will definitely be pleased to see how the baby grew;
- how to photograph children under one year old and what kind of light to use? It is optimal to choose a studio with large windows so that the light is natural. But if there is no such option, use a softbox to illuminate the entire area with soft, diffused light;
- a good solution is to use an object table and a tripod. On the table you can put everything you need, pick up a plain background. Using a tripod, you can choose the optimal point for a beautiful frame;
- most often for a photo shoot with such a small child they take a 35–50mm lens.
A monochromatic background, a minimum of decorations make such pictures soothing, soft and warm. Photo: photographynewinsight.blogspot.comChildren under 5
“Golden age” 2–5 years. At this time, children are most photogenic. They are not shy, not pinched, spontaneous and behave naturally. If you want to take beautiful shots at a photo shoot with a small child, then up to 5 years old is the best age.
Give the child a flower, a toy, a large lollipop in his hands and take it off while he interacts with this object. Photo: jooinn.comIf you want to beautifully and correctly photograph children from 2 years old, these tips will help you:
- you have to shoot several people — you can choose a wide-angle lens (17–35 mm), a portrait — 50–100 mm. If you plan to shoot from a distance (for example, how models walk along a path or ride down a hill), you can generally take a telephoto lens (for example, 200 mm).
If you can’t take a lot of lenses with you to shoot, you can take something universal. For example, Sigma AF 17–70 mm. An option with which you can take both group and portrait shots;
- if we photograph children on the street, then most likely they will run, jump and move quickly. Therefore, it is better to set the shutter speed to at least 1/200 (for a jump, it is generally better to set 1/800). This will help to capture even a sharp, sudden movement in the frame;
- continuous shooting is a good solution. It is easier to choose at least one worthy from a series of shots. This is especially important at a fidget photo shoot;
The focus should be on the eyes. A common mistake is to focus on the nose. This makes the picture impersonal and uninteresting;
- Do not use the built-in flash. It makes the face flat and lifeless. If we photograph a child at home, you can do this by the window (with natural light) or use an umbrella (for a small room), softbox (for a large room). Shooting outdoors — before lunch or in the late afternoon (to avoid harsh black shadows at noon) + you can use a reflector;
- when shooting, it is better to lower yourself to the level of the child’s eyes. This will allow you to harmoniously fit it into the frame. And if you shoot from above, then the bodies will turn out small, and the heads will be large;
- use animals. Children look good in a frame with animals. A little girl and a big shaggy dog or little kitten look cute. Important: it is better to take the animal, accustomed to the child, or specially trained. And in detail about the animalistic shooting was told in the blog.
A great idea for a family photo session with children is to take pictures with animals. Photo: fi.pinterest.comHow to photograph children under 12
Already from 5–6 years old, the child begins to be embarrassed. By this age, he most likely heard that he has not such teeth, ears, and he smiles crookedly, etc. This can cause self-doubt (someone has more, some has less). And there is such a trend — at this age, children are more likely to pinch and try to pose. For example, smile so that a lost tooth is not visible.
Schoolchildren are usually more constrained, so you can first talk with them, find out what they like, how they want to see themselves in the pictures. Photo: motaen.comTherefore, the main secret when shooting from 5 years to adolescence is to make sure that they are distracted from the camera. The easiest way to photograph children in nature, together with animals, friends, parents. Those who can distract them from the presence of the camera.
If you understand that the child is too tight, you can use our tips to help liberate the model. We collected them in a separate article.
In addition, you can safely use all the tips collected in the previous paragraph. They are relevant for this age range.
The presence of a shaggy friend will help to open up and be liberated. Photo: freight.qantas.comShooting with teenagers
Children from 13 years old — lottery. Someone at this time has already become self-confident, managed to visit a modeling school and knows how to work with a camera. And someone has multiplied fears, complexes and shyly tries to hide their shortcomings.
Taking cool photos for teenagers is easy. It is enough to listen to their desires. Photo: www.pinterest.comHow to photograph any teenager beautifully? There are 3 key points:
- propose (to develop together) an idea that the child will like, choose a location;
- collect references, show successful poses — so that the child is not afraid that he does not know how to put his hands and feet;
- remove annoying factors from the set (brother who jokes inappropriately, etc.).
Tips:
- shoot in a comfort zone (home, favorite cafe, courtyard) or meet in advance, chat in the studio so that the teenager gets used to you;
- praise, encourage, show pictures from time to time. The teenager is old enough to say what he likes and dislikes. This will help you choose the best poses and angles;
- involve pets, friends, relatives — all those with whom the teenager will be comfortable. Read more about the secrets of family photo shoots in our blog.
For teenagers, you can offer more cool ideas: shooting on the roof, fashion styling, using colored smoke, holi colors, gel filters (when shooting in a studio), etc. Photo: elle.vnDo you need styling for a photo shoot with children?
We have already talked about what styling is. This is an opportunity to show the history (of a family, a child) through photographs. And therefore, stylization implies a particularly careful selection of images, locations, and collection of references.
For infants and children under 5, full and detailed styling is optional. The former sleep most of the time. The latter do not need instructions, because they are photogenic and spontaneous in themselves. When working with them, it is enough to follow the basic rules:
- clean clothes, accessories and shoes, neat appearance;
- the child should be full, satisfied, in a good mood;
- The location for shooting is clean, beautiful, without too bright accents.
For example, for a newborn, this is a single-color photophone, a pillow and a matching overalls. For an older child — a light-colored suit, a dog, a forest path along which they walk.
But for schoolchildren, teenagers, you can carry out a complete styling. This will partially relieve the fear of the camera, because:
- a child in the form of a hero that you like;
- he is in the location he chose;
- no need to figure out how to stand up, you just need to repeat after the reference.
The main secret of good photos is to allow children of all ages to be themselves. Photo: exploradordeviajes.comWe hope that these tips will help you take beautiful photos of children of different ages. It is not difficult to conduct such a photo session. It is enough to show the little model that you are on her side and want to please her with beautiful shots.
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