Tips: Taking Photos & Preserving Videos

Want Great Photos?

Submitted By: Kim Pace, Owner, Kim Pace Photography

Are you completely frustrated with trying to get "a" shot of your children? I mean you just want one decent shot right? It can be completely frustrating for both you and your child when trying to capture a happy picture. I want to share with you some simple tips on how to try to capture better photos of your children

 

1. Full Belly + Well Rested = HAPPY PHOTOS A rested, well fed child is a HAPPY smiling, works well with others kinda child. Make sure that when you are trying to take photos that you take them right after your child has finished resting and has a full belly.
2. Get Down Low If you are doing portraits of kids my number one suggestion is to GET DOWN LOW. It really is best to get down on your knees or belly while taking photos your child. You want to be eye level with them; direct eye contact helps you engage the viewer and can produce some really fun photos.
3. Never, EVER say cheese (I AM SSOOOOOO GUILTY OF THIS) If you want your kids to pay attention to the camera never say cheese, say something silly like "oh look at the bug on top of my camera" or "What's on Mommy's (or Daddy's) head?" Try and make taking pictures fun for them, almost like you are not taking pictures. Tell them "I bet you can spin around and stop right here" or "I don't think you can jump that high, really? Show me" Telling the kid they can't do something is a sure way to make them do it. :)
4. Turn off your flash Natural light is so flattering and beautiful. Take your kids outside and let them run around. Capturing them enjoying being outside. Using a flash flattens the details of the picture. If you are inside taking photos, try moving your kids towards the window or a door way. Experiment with not using flash, you will be surprised with the results!
5. Try not to shoot in full sun Shooting in full sun produces squinty/strong shadow type of photos. Shooting during full sun is unavoidable sometimes, so if you are full sun try finding a shaded area to take your photos. This will cut down on the sun glare allowing you to capture some really beautiful shots.
6. Never let them see you coming Sometimes the best shots are the ones that are taken when your children have no idea the camera is out. Take pictures when they are playing on the floor with their favorite toy, when they are trying to feed themselves or dancing to their favorite song. Stop chasing the perfect photos or pose. Let your child go with the flow. The possibilities are endless when taking "stealth" photos of your children.
7. Get in close!! Try zooming in with your camera or getting close up. Try not standing so far away from your children.. move in and fill the camera's frame with their adorable little face!
8. Plain & Simple Try to keep the clothing your child is wearing to simple patterns. If you have too many flowers or stripes the photo can look to busy making you notice the clothes and not your child when first looking at it. Also, let your child wear what they are most comfortable in - this will help them not fuss about not liking their clothes.
9. Watch out for trees that grow out of heads What i am trying to say is.. pay attention to your background. Look for areas that are not to busy or cluttered. My number one mistake is not viewing my background only to find that I took a photo and it looks like a tree is growing out of the top of my kids head. It sounds silly, but trust me you will laugh when you start to notice it in pictures.
10. Practice+Patience=fun time for all!  Take a ton of photos and get to know your camera! You really want to take time to understand your camera's functions so that you are not fumbling missing great shots because you can't figure out how to zoom. And the BIGGEST tip of all is to just practice. If you practice and have fun with taking the photos you will find that your "Happy Accident Photos" (as I like to call them) are more your "I so meant to do that photos".

Have fun!

 

Take Great Pictures

Submitted By: Tracy Gorman, Owner, Clix Portrait Studios

Sometimes people avoid taking pictures because they think that they aren't good at it. Don't let anything discourage you - here are some tips to improve the pictures you're taking.

1. Don't be afraid to zoom in and get close. Closeups are great shots, especially with babies because your photo becomes about those tiny little features that you would never even notice if taking a picture from far away. Don't worry about making sure that everything surrounding your subject gets included in the photo - getting close takes out backgrounds that could be distracting.
2. The majority of people today are using digital cameras as opposed to film cameras. With digital cameras, it's simple to erase a picture that you aren't happy with, so snap a lot. You'll be surprised at what you can capture.
3. When possible, use natural light. It's much softer than a flourescent lightbulb or other indoor light. natural light coming in through a window gives a picture a much different feel.
4. For new parents, it's great to take a picture of your child each month in the same spot. A great idea is to print these pictures and organize them in a 12 month frame where you can see how much your baby grew during their first year.
5. The best thing you can do is to be creative - you've got nothing to lose. Remember that not every picture you take needs to be of a person smiling or even looking at you. Sometimes it's not the smile, it's the natural expression of a person that is so beautiful and interesting.

 

Photos and Video

Don't put off buying a camera and/or video camera. You cannot get those moments back and photos are so wonderful to look at as your child gets older. Take pictures of them sleeping, eating, playing, etc. Don't worry if they will not pose for a picture, the spontaneous ones are more fun anyway.

Video them saying their first words, taking their first steps, singing, and playing. Digital cameras make it easy to share your photos online with families and friends. Digital photos also allow you to see right away whether or not you got a decent photo.

Your kids will love looking at their photos and movies as they get older.

Taking Photos of Your Child

--courtesy of Kristina Azab Photography
For baby photos, the natural light from a window is the best lighting you can possibly get at home. On-camera flash usually looks unnatural. Natural light will give you a softer effect. Bring in as much light from a window as possible, but watch for too bright sun or shadows. The best lighting will come from a window with soft shades or gauzy curtains. Use a white or light colored sheet or blanket and lay your baby on it as close to the window as you can get.

Set your camera on its automatic setting or experiment with different shutter speeds and apertures. For a grainy look, pick a higher speed film. The higher the speed, the more grain you will see. If you want a crisp look, keep your film speed in the 200 range. You can experiment with soft filters which you can buy at a camera store. Shoot as much as you can, because babies move around so much. Try close-ups of hands and feet and all the cute little body parts that change so fast. Shoot some black and white film as well as color. Most importantly, have fun!