DIY Network

Photographing Children: Composition Basics From "The Whole Picture" episode DTWP-103

Using creative camera angles and engaging your subject can take your photography from drab to dynamic.

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Taking good photos of kids is a test of your photo skills as well as your patience. Even if the kids are cooperating, sometimes your camera or the shooting conditions aren't. But there are some basic principles that could improve your odds of capturing the moment like the pros do.

Professional photographer Erin Manning, host of DIY's The Whole Picture, discusses principles and provides tips that will help you get better results when photographing children. Topics include composition basics, use of white-balance on a digital camera and how to digitally manipulate your digital photos to enhance results after-the-shot.

Materials used in this episode:

Digital camera
Camera owner's manual
Tripod
White paper

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	Figure A
	Figure B

Composition Basics

One of the most fundamental problem areas of novice photographers, particularly when shooting active subjects like kids, is composition. In everyday shooting, most people tend to stand back and simply center their subject in the frame--which may be sage advice for snapshots, but typically results in drab, uninteresting pictures (figure A).

Also when photographing children, adults naturally tend to "shoot down" on their diminutive subjects from "adult height," an angle that may not capture as much detail or vitality. Learning a little about angles and perspective, engaging your subject at their own level and paying attention to background and surroundings are all things that can help make your pictures come alive (figure B).

Figure C

Getting Down to Kid Level

By getting on your subject's eye level, you'll always get more interesting expressions than of their craned neck looking up at you. It also makes the viewer feel more involved in what's going on in your photograph (figure C).

Secure the digital camera to the tripod and begin photographing. Remember, with your digital camera you can erase the photos you do not want, so just keep taking them. You might be pleasantly surprised.

	Get down on your childs level.
	With digital photography in particular, it pays to just keep shooting. You might be pleasantly surprised by your results.

Have fun and experiment with new angles. Don't be afraid to clown around with the kids on the floor or on the lawn. Join them on their level whatever they're doing. By doing so, you're more likely to make them forget you're even taking pictures in the first place. That way, you'll capture a more authentic moment.

RESOURCES :

PC Photo magazine
Website: www.pcphotomag.com
Online version of the magazine devoted to digital photography and related technologies.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Digital Photography
Model: 002864235X
Author: Steven Greenberg
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Prentice Hall
Paramus, NJ 07652

Digital Photography For Dummies
Model: 0764506463
Author: Julie Adair King
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Hungry Minds, Inc.

Complete Digital Photography
Model: 1584500077
Author: Ben Long
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Charles River Media
Website: www.charlesriver.com/

50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques
Model: 0764535781
Author: Gregory Georges, Cris Rys
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Hungry Minds, Inc.