Photographing children is a instant winner, firstly, people love kids so naturally photos of kids are going to catch people eye, secondly as kids grow up and change so much making it important to preserve memory's for years to come that is why shooting children is always an interesting and fun experience.
But don't be fooled, its not all child's play (ouch!!) I thought I would share with you some golden 'rules' I follow when photographing the little people.
1) Preparation. Make sure you are prepared, ask your self, have I got the right gear for this shoot? (see 'Equipment' below) this also means setting your camera up correctly, Manual Mode will NOT be the best option for you here, even if you do have the quickest thumbs in the west. Aperture Priority or even better Shutter Priority will see you right.. whilst on the subject of Shutter speed one very good rule when photographing kids don't try to use a shutter speed less then 1/120th (1/100 at a push) normally I would say that hand held exposures I wouldn't worry unless I dropped below 1/60th BUT kids don't tend to sit still (and why should they?) whilst blur can be creative sometimes that's where shutter priority is the best option for you so that YOU can choose when to add that little creative sparkle and not when your trying to get a nice razor portrait.
ISO. Get that ISO set high, not too high so that you loose image quality but higher than you normally would allow again normally I would recommend leaving your ISO at its native (200 in most cases) BUT Its always a good idea to allow for changing light as you move around which brings us nicely to ....
2) Point of view. I see sooooo many photos taken of kids from an adults point of view, that is from above their head hight (shooter stood upright with the camera planted to their face). GET ON THE FLOOR, try to shoot from no higher than the child's hight this will give a unique point of view and will further identify the CHILD as being the main point of interest. This rule as always is there to be broken (see image above) this is a good example of using lenses properly.
3) Equipment. I try to avoid using prime or fixed focal length lenses on children as It will not give you enough flexibility and as you on the floor (remember?) its not going to very easy to jump to your feet to move back three feet as the subject has just run over to you with his/her ball, I find the coverage of a wide angle such as a 14-24mm or the 12-24mm or maybe the 10-20mm or mid range lens 17-55mm or the 24-70mm to be ideal they give a close personal feel as opposed to say using a telephoto which would require that distance that is not going to hold the child's attention or focus.
Remove any battery grips, flashes, lens hoods or of other un-needed accessorys if possible in an attempt to make your camera look as small as you can, this will help relax the child as they may not have ever seen a chunky SLR before it could be quite menacing.
4) Bribery ;) I always carry lolly pops and sweets in my camera bag to reward good children it helps A LOT to settle crazy kids. (remember to get permission from the boss first though)
5) Props. If possible gather an arsenal of their favourite toys, teddy ect with mummy or daddy to help entertain. this will keep the child interested enough for you to squeeze off a few frames.
As always any comments or questions below.
