As a professional photographer who photographs families, and as someone who photograph 1 year olds for their first cake experience, I am often faced with parents who want to photograph their own daily lives.
I get it. I mean, I’m a parent as well. So I always have my iPhone in my
But parents are not trained as photographers, so the photos often look flat, boring, dark or blurry.
That’s why today I want to share with you a bit of advice for other parents, for when photographing children.
Quite often I’m sure you’re in a situation where there is an object in the way of your child. For example, they’re on the playground and you see bars in your way.
In this photo the girl is behind a mesh barrier in an indoor playground.
In this situation you can see see the shadow and blur from the mesh on her face. It also creates a block in the camera, which messes with its autofocus.
Try this instead. Don’t fight the barrier, but rather work with it.
Use statements to have the child grab the barrier. Interact with the child to get a hug, a kiss or something that could be fun.
As you can see, one small statement after saying her name, and she’s coming towards me, trying to grab my face.
A moment later, her fingers come through the barrier, and the photo is so much better than the first.
It’s not playful.
Remember – your photo does not have to include your child’s face perfectly for it to be a good photo. It needs to tell a story, to share your child’s personality.
So next time you’re in a tough situation where something is impeding on the photo you want, work with it instead of against it.
Take it to a new level, and let a professional photographer document your family’s story, so you can be in the photos instead of using your phone.
Get in touch today and let’s talk about it.
