Ah, Thanksgiving. A time for turkey, counting your blessings and of course, taking the annual family photo. If a perfectly posed pic is the goal, think again. Classic Kids Photography founder Julie Floyd offers these tips on impromptu shots that will capture kids’ true personality:
1. Never say “smile” or ask the children to say “cheese.” Their mouth will smile, but their eyes will not. Get kids to smile by keeping them entertained.
2. The photographer needs to bring the camera down to eye level. Position yourself in a child-friendly spot — even lay on the floor if necessary.
3. Fill the frame with your subject. A nice close shot is far more interesting to the viewer than seeing a lot of background.
4. Leave props out of the photograph unless the object is something your child can’t live without.
5. Make the shoot fun. If your four kids have to sit still for the picture, make sure that you are very entertaining. Enlist help from another adult if necessary.
6. Let kids be kids. Don’t stress about boo-boos, braces, bruises and black eyes. Imperfections are charming and make kids look real. Don’t insist that hair is perfectly styled. Remember, natural truly is timeless.
i looove Classic Kids! Sister goes to their San Fran studio and I just had my first and visited Manhattan-truly unlike any other photog company!
November 28th, 2008 at 8:26 am