The best children's portraits are ones that are natural and reveal the child's personality. Here are some ideas for taking great child portraits.
Young children are great subjects. They are natural with the camera and easy to work with. Everyone identifies with the innocence of childhood. This is the element that makes great children's portraits. Follow these ten tips and the payoff will be great portraits.
- Shoot Early - Morning light is best for natural shots and most children are fresher at this hour. Outdoor lighting in the morning is great for soft lighting and for a natural looking environment.
- Breakfast - Breakfast is the best meal of the day, make sure their little bellies are full and they are content. Nothing makes getting a good candid children's portrait harder than a cranky child.
- Lighting - When shooting outdoors, look for varied light, such as light beams falling on a bench. Have the child look into the light. This creates drama and a lighter feel to the portrait. Some children's portrait photographers prefer to shoot indoors and make use of natural lighting from windows along side strobes. If shooting with lights indoors, use light from windows as side lighting. If there is a white wall, this can be used as a background or for soft light by bouncing light off the wall. Minimize the number of lights used by bouncing light and using available light. This is more comfortable for the child and will result in better pictures.
- Play - Watch as the child explores things that capture their interest. Get shots of the child at play. Give the child a single toy to play with and take various shots at different angles. These make great children's portraits, especially when the child starts laughing or getting goofy.
- Natural Smiles - Do not ask the child to smile. Some of the best kid portraits are when children are not smiling, but are acting natural. This shows the personality of the child. Not all kids smile, and not all kids smile all the time.
- Move Parents to Another Room - If possible, make sure the parents are not in the same room. Sometimes parents, without meaning to, put pressure on their children to smile and the response is a stiff child portrait.
- Black and White - Take black and white images. Black and white children's photography shows more of the personality of the child. These pictures make great art prints that are timeless.
- Wait For The Shot - If there is more than one child, follow the children around and watch them at play. Use a long lens and get distant shots where the children are unaware of the camera. Wait, be patient and the reward will be a special moment when the child is doing something unique to their own personality.
- Theme - Have something in mind before the shoot. Childen's portrait photographers plan the event for the children. Find out what the interests of the child are before the shoot. Also, it is important to know what types of images the family needs. This would include group shots, headshots and particular groupings of children, if photographing more than one child. This way all the details are worked out in advance and the photographer can focus on the child.
- Time - Make sure you get all your shots early. Children will tire out anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 and half hours into the photo shoot. After this point, getting natural shots with excitement and interest will be difficult.
Follow these tips, allow the child to play and interact with others in a natural environment and the portraits will be great.
The copyright of the article 10 Tips for Taking Children's Portraits in Portrait Photography is owned by Caroline Thompson. Permission to republish 10 Tips for Taking Children's Portraits in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
