Tuesday, May 31, 2011

On a Gardening Vacation-How to Photograph Children and Pets

This past memorial day weekend we started putting in our garden in our backyard.  Unfortunately I vastly underestimated how much time it would take to dig up all the sod and then plant.  I'm still in the digging phase and it takes quite a while, especially when I have to sing the "Wheels on the Bus" while getting covered in soil.  Any apologies for the lack of crafting going on, but Colby and I did a quick photo shoot.  I've discovered a few things about photographing children and pets (Hopefully I didn't offend anyone by lumping your child in with your dog):
1.  Get down at their level.  No one wants a far a way shot looking down on a child or for that matter a shot looking up their nose. 

2.  Don't use the flash.  This freaks babies out and you end up with a picture with a kid with a really confused look. 

3.  Experiment with different colorings.  My camera has a color swap which makes all the greens pop but everything else is black and white. Okay, this isn't the best example of the colors popping, but it makes Martin look pretty awesome.

4.  Play with different backgrounds.  I like to use blankets with visual interest but photographing in the great outdoors is always a good move.


5.  Capture some action or emotion.  If the photos look to posed and stiff they won't elicit a reaction from your audience.
6.  Edit your pictures.  Crop, reduce red eyes, and play with the exposure, contrast, and highlights.
7.  Make sure your subject is rested and happy or you'll end up with a crying baby picture and look like a bad parent.

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