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Photographing Kids by Jon Sienkiewicz Tips For Capturing Precious Moments With Your Kids Article rating: 8.18

Being a parent is the most fulfilling experience we can enjoy. Having children at home keeps the house filled with laughter, wonderment and happiness. It’s too bad those magical times can’t last forever.

But they can’t. Our offspring remain children for an incredibly short time. Growing from infant to toddler in the blink of an eye, they leave the milk bottles and disposable diapers behind as they reach for building blocks and baby-dolls, and later, baseballs and bicycles.

The good news is that the whole family can enjoy every happy childhood episode over and over again by reliving the events through a casually gathered collection of photographs. Today’s cameras are relatively inexpensive and quite easy to use. It requires neither talent nor technical skills to get some memorable shots, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Shoot digital and shoot a lot. A digital camera that is at least 3-megapixels delivers excellent 4x6 snapshots and very good 8x10 inch enlargements. Film cameras are fine, but digital cameras offer many advantages. You can shoot and store hundreds of images on a single reusable memory card, transfer them to the family PC, and then start all over again. Digital images can be printed at home, e-mailed to far away relatives, and watched on the television. In fact, if you do shoot film, be sure to request that the photo shop returns your images on a CD along with the printed pictures – that way you’ll have at least some of the advantages digital images provide.

If you’re shopping for a new digital camera, give extra consideration to a model that has an oversized (2-inch or 2.5-inch) LCD monitor. Having a big LCD makes it easier to share the images immediately right on the camera. Children (and grandparents) can see the pictures more easily on a bigger screen. It also makes it easier to see the faces in the images so you can delete the shots where the subjects’ eyes are closed.

Think about your growing collection of photographic images from a long-term perspective. Document the big days. Record all of the “firsts:” first steps, first day at preschool, first pony ride, etc. If you have a video camera, these are the times you’ll want to get on tape. The big events serve as milestones and will later help everyone keep everything in chronological order. The “firsts” don’t always yield the best images but they will provide memories for many years to come.

Always have a camera with you. Kids can do the cutest things when it’s least expected – and when there’s no camera at hand to capture it. Several digital camera models from highly regarded companies like Casio, Sony and Canon are scarcely larger than a deck of cards – and don’t weigh much more. Having a camera in the pocket or purse will assure that precious memories are recorded to be enjoyed another day. And don’t forget to take the camera to the restaurant when the family stops for burgers or a pizza. Children are highly photogenic when they’re chasing their French fries through a sea of ketchup.

Let the kids participate, too. Allow the youngsters to shoot pictures by supplying them with an inexpensive single-use camera. Supervision is required, of course, but it’s a great learning experience for little ones and allows them to create something permanent that they can be proud of forever. (Note that younger children should never be allowed to play with a camera or any device that has breakable or removable parts because of a very real choking hazard.)

Find interesting backgrounds, including wall murals at shopping malls. Colorful backdrops add excitement and interest to most shots, but occasionally choose plain, solid colors for variety. When visiting state parks or other venues that have site maps and signs, you can sometimes have the kids stand beside the signpost so that it’s included in the snapshot – but don’t overdo this boring cliché, otherwise your album will look like millions of others.

Move in close or use a telephoto lens for portrait, but don’t center the child in every shot. Cameras seemingly work against us because they often include some sort of target right in the middle of the viewfinder. Ignore it. Think about the composition before you shoot, and if in doubt, shoot again. If your camera has a zoom lens (most do) shoot the same scene at different zoom settings. If it does not have a zoom, vary the physical distance between the camera and the subject and shoot several shots.

Getting great photographs is a matter of exercising great timing. It takes practice to learn how to capture exactly the right moment. Anticipate the child’s movements and plan ahead. If the child is reaching for a toy, shoot an instant before they grasp it. If the child is playing with a pet, anticipate the pet’s reaction to the child’s movements and shoot accordingly. One word of caution: with some digital cameras there’s a noticeable delay between the time you press the shutter and the time the camera actually fires. Allow for this delay or you’ll miss some great shots.

Children generally show more genuine facial expressions when they are busy. Photograph your children when they’re involved in quiet play or making artwork. Be casual, and don’t ask the youngster to smile. After a minute or so they’ll forget that you’re there with a camera, and bingo! -- a prize winning picture.

A small tripod will greatly facilitate family group self-portraits. Some models are less than six inches tall but will save the day when there’s no place to set the camera for self-timer shot. Tiny tripods cost less than twenty dollars and slip easily into a backpack or waist pack.

A word about flash – turn it off sometimes indoors, and turn it on sometimes outdoors. Sounds like a contradiction, but you’ll see a noticeable improvement under the right circumstances. Use available light (flash off) when the room light is fairly bright or you’re seated near a window. If it’s not bright enough, you may get camera shake or subject movement, so check the image immediately on the LCD monitor. Use fill-flash outdoors to remove facial shadows and to brighten up the colors. Don’t worry – it won’t cause overexposure to use the flash outside, although it will run the batteries down a bit faster.

One last tip from an expert: the pictures you’ll keep the longest are the ones you can hold in your hands. Digital images are great, but be sure to have the best ones printed. Images that are stored on a PC can be lost – possibly forever. Images that are printed can last a lifetime.

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