This is pretty exciting for me. I absolutely love to talk shop, so being able to answer your questions and share tips+techniques with you is pretty awesome. Please keep the questions coming!
I would have to say that one of the most asked questions is ‘How can I take better pictures of my kids?’ Yes, I could go off on many (many) tangents about composition, shutter speed, lighting, etc., but, right now, I want to share two super simple, super effective tips.
GET IN – Move in closer to your subject. If you don’t have a zoom lens, just walk closer. Yup, right up to that little monkey of yours. Bet you’ll get a great facial expression for that close up shot! I realize that not every shot has to be a close up, but wow, sometimes, you catch that sparkle in their eye or that first tooth popping out of that gummy smile, or perhaps the ‘Mom, I said no more pictures!’ stink eye I’ve come to know.
GET DOWN – Sit, squat, lay down on the ground…get down to your child’s level. No real technical reason for it, it just works.
(ok, because i’m me, i do have to quickly mention a composition tip. check out the ‘after’ pic. notice that the super handsome little guy (hehe) is NOT centered. he is slightly off to the left. i know it goes against everything you’ve been told, but please, do. not. center. your. subject. yes, there are exceptions to every rule, and art is art, so really, there are no rules. but this one is pretty solid. don’t worry, a more detailed post about composition is sure to surface in the future, where we can talk more about this. if you can’t stand to wait any longer, google ‘rule of thirds’. it will change your life. ok, not really at all, but it will drastically change the way you shoot and will be really really stoked on your new pics)
Need more detail? Shoot me an email! Now go out and practice, woohoo!!
