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Tag: children

Tips for Photographing Toddlers

Posted on by Jennifer Berube

The never ending energy of a toddler can be great for play time, but when you’re trying to get a perfect image of them to send to family and friends or hang up on your wall, that energy can quickly turn the photo shoot into a disaster.

Toddlers won’t act like adults during a photo shoot and can’t be expected to. Yet it is still possible to get a great image of your child that you can cherish forever, without too much stress or hassle. By following these tips, you’ll have a great day out with your kid and several photos to show for it.

Be Outside

Although you can get amazing images of children indoors, outside is one of the best places to photograph toddlers. The natural light will eliminate the need for a flash which can scare toddlers or even hurt their eyes. The outdoors also has lots of natural props for the kids to use and lots of space for them to play, allowing you capture natural reactions and smiles.

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Be Loose

Because toddlers can have a short attention span, it’s important to keep the photo shoot loose. Give your kid a few toys or take them to a place with some animals and just let them do what they want to do. The best images of toddlers are the ones that aren’t forced and are just the kids being kids. Don’t get too stressed about having them sit still and smile for you. Let them explore their surroundings and take a picture when they find their own reason to smile.

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Use Props

Children love to play with and explore new objects. Allowing a child to examine a leaf or play with a broom can help you get natural photos of your child. Something like a wicker basket or small chair can also be useful in helping you get a more formal photo where you might need your child to stay in a contained space. Don’t be afraid to let the kids get a bit creative. Allow them to crawl into the laundry basket or, carefully, make it to the top of the couch.

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Get on Their Level

An image facing down on a child could possibly make them feel afraid or worried. When photographing children, always kneel, bend, or lay down on their level to take the image. Let the kid lead the way and follow them around. This will help them feel more at ease and can also help you bond.

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Bring in Other Family Members

If you really need an image of your child in a formal pose or standing still, try bringing in another family member. This will also help a toddler feel more at ease if you’re taking them to an unfamiliar place like a studio. The other family member can help hold the child for formal images, and can also play with the child to help create natural smiles. The other family member can stay in the image for a fun family photo or can be framed or cropped out to keep the focus on the toddler.

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Use Natural Poses

When photographing your child, don’t try and force them into a pose you think will look good. Instead, just let the child play, and take images as they go. If you’re using a digital camera you can take as many pictures as you want and then later decide on the photos that most reflect your child. Sometimes the best photo shoots are ones taken during play time. Just letting your toddler play with their toys, or run around outside while you take pictures can create some of the most stunning images. Or take them on a family outing to some place new and exciting.

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Be Unique

Allow the toddler to hold their favorite blanket or play with their favorite toy. Not only will their reactions in your photos be real, but they will also help display the character of your child, showing off their uniqueness. Having an image of your toddler hugging their stuffed bear makes the image special to your child and your family. It not only captures the child, but also the way they interact with their world.

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Each toddler is different, and each deserves the best photograph to help their friends and family remember the early years. Taking pictures of toddlers can be difficult both in technique and in creativity. And, it’s a bit of a different process than taking pictures of babies, who are more likely to be still or sleeping during the shoot. As long as you keep the child entertained and happy, you’ll be able to get a great image that will be a family treasure for years to come.

High Energy Photoshoots: Pets and Children

Posted on by Jennifer Berube

Everyone loves pets, and everyone loves children. Photographers can get some wonderful pictures of children and pets, but it is often difficult to get the right circumstances where the pets and children behave the way you want them to for the photoshoot. They have a lot of energy, short attention spans, and it can push you to your limits to get the photo, but it isn’t impossible if you just have some patience and a few tricks up your sleeve. Here are some good tips for you to get the best photos of pets and children.

Understand the Challenges

There are going to be several challenges when you photograph children and pets. Understanding these challenges will ensure you get the photos you want.

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First, respond to the personality of your model. That’s not only for a child, but the pet as well. You can do this with an individual child, or with a group of children. Let them be children, and let them act naturally for the photo. The best photos of children are they ones where you can really see what they’re like, when you really capture their personality. Same with pets.

Second, you are going to be dealing with fast moving subjects and that means you need to be very quick on your feet.

Lastly, it can be hard for the kids to stay in one spot when you want to take advantage of certain light. Natural lighting is really what you want to go for when photographing children and pets playing.

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Have Fun

When you are photographing children or pets for portraits, have fun with it. Understand that they are not going to act how you want them to act. They are going to act how they want to act, so you need to take advantage of that. If the child, or children, have a lot of energy and want to run around and play, then take them outside and get photos of them climbing trees, playing in leaves, running around a field. All of this can make for wonderful, and relaxed, photos that a family will cherish for many years to come.

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With pets, you can follow the same mentality. If you are photographing cats, then let them play. Give them some cat nip, work to make them interact with each other using toys and strings. With dog photography, it is much easier as the dog is very eager to please. They will want to do the things you want them to do. Have them sit and stay and capture the picture. You can throw a ball outside, or into water, and get those pictures that show the dog having the time of its life.

Don’t Expect Boredom

What I mean by this is that you should not expect that the children are just going to stand around, or the dogs and cats won’t just sit there and not move. Well, maybe the cats won’t move. You should expect a lot of energy and you should expect that the children and pets don’t want to be bored. In that regard, because of the high energy, make sure you capture everything with a fast shutter speed. Make sure there is a lot of light around you as well. Natural light will be the best for pictures, so being outside is a good option if you want to get the best photos of your pets and children models. If you have to take pictures in the studio, then make sure that you have plenty of light to work with.

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Think Outside the Box

When you are getting the photos, especially of pets, then think outside the box. Don’t just have the dogs sit and pose, have them take a bath and shake. Have them photographed soaking wet, or running after a ball, or playing with their favorite toy. With cats, have them play with string instead of just lay on the ground, or have them interact with other cats. If they are just laying around, then make a sudden noise to get their attention and have them look directly at the camera. There are so many options for creating some really great and interesting photos of pets.

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We love our pets and we love our children and some see their pets as their children. Help preserve the memories of your dearest ones through amazing photoshoots that capture the high energy and unique personalities of the models.

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