One of parents' favorite things is to record every precious moment of their children with pictures and videos. But do you find it extremely challenging to get the best shot? If you can hardly get your little monkey to stay put until he finishes a meal, chances are you will have an even harder time to get him to pose for an entire photo session. I'm happy to share with you 10 great tips provided by the
National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP) to help make an at-home photography session painless for everyone while still producing plenty of frame-worthy shots:
1. Get on their level: Lay or sit down on the floor to capture the perfect picture. Not only will you be able to see the world from their vantage point, but you’ll also have better perspective and angles when shooting.
2. Lighting is key: Most parents think that having great lighting can be replaced with a camera’s flash, but the flash can actually make children appear washed out. Instead, utilize indirect, natural lighting by shooting near a window in the house or under the shade of a tree.
3. Never stop shooting: For every good shot, there are typically about 8-10 bad ones, but that’s the beauty of having a digital camera! Change the setting to continuous shooting mode to capture lots of shots in the midst of action. Even most standard point-and-shoot cameras have some sort of “sport mode” that can accomplish this task.
4. Get to know your camera: Consult your camera’s manual or look up the settings online so that you can take full advantage of all of its different settings. Three key ones to experiment and get comfortable with are the aperture setting, the shutter speed and the ISO setting.
5. Consider black and white: Black and white photos are not only timeless and classic, but they can also easily cover up the redness and blotchiness on newborns and babies. Adjusting the black and white settings is usually easiest to do after the photo session in photoshop or picasa.
6. Make it fun for them: Kids love to play with their parents, so turn a photo session into play time! Play games, tell jokes and sing songs with them – pretty soon, they’ll forget that you’re taking pictures.
7. Get up close and personal: Get close or zoom in to capture all of the small details that make your child unique.
8. Pay attention to the background: Before you start shooting, make sure that any unwanted or distracting items, like a vacuum cleaner or piles of clothes, are out of the way and out of the shot.
9. Bring your camera everywhere: You never know when inspiration will strike. Camera phones make it easier to capture the everyday moments with your children – they can take decent pictures, but don’t always print well because of their low resolution.
10. Show off their personality: Standard portrait photos are parent favorites, but don’t hesitate to shoot pictures of them in their natural settings and behaviors. Their quirky and adorable habits today can usually create the best photos that you’ll treasure years later.
Love these tips? Get more at
www.napcp.com, where you can also find a professional child photographer near you. Follow NAPCP on
Facebook and
Twitter.
About NAPCP
The National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP) is an association whose mission is to promote and support the artistry and integrity of professional child photographers. The NAPCP connects parents searching for child photographers in their area with its professional members by providing a comprehensive directory of photographers and informative articles on what to expect from their professional photography experience. Serving as a valuable resource for both photographers and parents, NAPCP continually strives to raise industry standards in child photography.
The Giveaway
NAPCP has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a custom-designed picture frame from
The Organic Bloom valued at $200! Sold exclusively to professional portrait photographers, it will be perfect to keep your family memories!
But that's not all, the winner will also be entered to win a Grand Prize--a full professional photography session with
Mandy Johnson. Mandy has built an impressive portfolio and has photographed for a number of celebrity clients. NAPCP will fly Mandy out to the winner’s hometown so that the photography session can take place in the comfort of their own home!
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