Take Better Pictures of Your Kids
Want the best photos of your kids? Then keep it real.
When it comes to photographing your kids, you've got the edge on the professionals.
James Levin, for example, has 20 years' experience photographing children for advertising assignments, but the first thing he'll tell you is that parents come to the party with a better chance at good pictures.
"You have the home-field advantage," Levin says. "When I shoot a job, I need to establish instant rapport, but when your kids are having fun doing something they love to do, you're gold."
Here are some of Levin's tips for using that home-field advantage to take better pictures of your kids.
• Let the kids dictate the activity. The more engaged they are, the less they're going to play to you and the camera. If you start to direct them or try to pose them, spontaneity is gone.
• Be observant and selective. No matter where you are--in the backyard, at the beach--you're looking for the moment, or waiting for the moment to find you. Just have the camera handy--and know how to use it. If you're not 100 percent sure on how to use it, leave it on Auto and let the camera do the heavy lifting for you.
• Look at the light. Sounds obvious, right? But we don't all do it. If we did, we'd realize that most moments of a sunny day aren't flattering to our subjects. High, hard light causes shadows under people's eyes. And they squint, too.
Dappled light, filtered through leaves of the trees, is more attractive. Look for backlighting, too. It has a rich quality that's beautiful and dramatic.
• Keep it Fun. If your kids are doing what they love to do, chances are you're not going to care too much if the photos are less than perfect exposures. You want the smiles, the enjoyment. Most of all, you want it real. Forget perfection—get the reality. Kids trump conditions.