...with a camera, that is . I have a question for those of you who do it. How do you get the little ones to hold a pose? Wondering cause I have a 4 year old sister that I'm gonna exploit when I go visit at the end of the month LOL...Not because she's my sister, but she is gorgeous and I would like to use her as a guinea pig but I'm concerned I'll have a hard time getting her to do what I want her to do. Do you just let them be themselves and do what they want? Even then, I'd like to get a few "posed" portraits.
I've just done this recently.
//www.exe.net.au/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5 For some of these shots I asked the parents to stand still for a moment for others I just used a 55-200 zoom and tried to be discreet. We were outside in bright sunlight.
6 Megapixels allows for some serious cropping.
Young parents are generally having a hard time with sleep deprivation but do appreciate photos of the bub. I've found that they are generally co-operative but once your time is up it is really up. :)
Give them something they can get interested in and they will sit or stand quite still for quite a long time (well, mostly anyway). The pics of my kids in my portfolio were taken while they were interested in a small waterfall at a goldfish pond at the city park.
If you have a specific shot in mind that requires setup, do all of that in advance and practice the shot with some kind of stand-in first before ever getting your sister in the shot. If it's just simple poses, she'll probably be fine to sit through about 4 or 5 minutes of sitting or standing in a certain way and smiling at the camera. You can probably extend that by showing her the pictures on the viewfinder so she can see the results right away (though you might want to wait until she starts growing impatient before doing this), and also by letting her do some silly poses to make it more fun.
Other than that, just keep your finger on the trigger and watch for her to do cute stuff, which will happen frequently. :-) Try to keep the camera down as close to her level as possible and just keep shooting. I hope you guys have fun!
If you are going to be inside, get the lighting as even as possible throughout the room. That way she can move around and you will still get a good picture.
Most little girls are good models at that age. My 5 year old is a good one.
Give her some dress up clothes and let her do some of her own cute poses. Trust me, if she is anything like my daughter she will know what to do. You just guide her a little, by telling her to mover her head or put her arm down a little farther. Always tell them how cute they are.
Good luck!
Originally posted by chiqui74:
...with a camera, that is . I have a question for those of you who do it. How do you get the little ones to hold a pose? Wondering cause I have a 4 year old sister that I'm gonna exploit when I go visit at the end of the month LOL...Not because she's my sister, but she is gorgeous and I would like to use her as a guinea pig but I'm concerned I'll have a hard time getting her to do what I want her to do. Do you just let them be themselves and do what they want? Even then, I'd like to get a few "posed" portraits.
I thnk the two key things (besides light, which is of course THE key) aare a point of interest for the kids and your presence with the camera becoming unnoticeable. If you are there long enough, snapping away, they will forget about you and you will get some good candids.
Then try attracting their attention just as you snap the shutter.
I only conduct sessions with children. None of the images on my website have kids that are posed. From what I have found, it is about capturing them at the right moment. I think posed children are much too sterile...that isn't what they are about. If you have a sisters that love each other, I would rather capture them hugging when they WANT to, not when *I* want them too. I just let the kids be themselves, and it is my job to look for those moments, expressions, and poses that all children give naturally. That is, in my opinion, the sign of a good photographer.
The general rule is (and I think it was mentioned in this thread), is to get to know the child with the camera in your hand. Start capturing images while they are telling you about their day, or their favorite toy. Then they will be more natural for you, thus resulting in great images.
June, a tried and true method for keeping the little tykes occupied: put a small dab of honey on their thumbs and forefingers, then give them a tiny feather to play with.
It depends what you want from your subject. Do you want to capture their unposed character or get a cutsie 'look at me' shot?
If you want to send them to relatives then the cutsie ones usually work but I prefer shots that stand as character studies, normally candid, capturing them in their daily action. These are also more appealing to strangers who don't feel excluded by not knowing the individual personally.
June, a tried and true method for keeping the little tykes occupied: put a small dab of honey on their thumbs and forefingers, then give them a tiny feather to play with.
Is that kinda like putting tape on the bottom of cats feet? :-D
Just from spending time trying to get unique pictures for my sons albums I've found that, like most have said already, following him around with camera in hand is the best bet. You'll always get their natural personality and interesting little traits that way. And also being at their level always makes for the best shots. I've tried a couple of times to set up shots with my little one, but I find the spontaineous shots always come out better.
Thank you guys, you are awesome. Lot's of good advice. I think my sister is a little too old for the honey trick, she'll be 5 early next month. I can't wait to come back and post the pictures and brag about them...and get the "oh, not another kid post!" comment...LOL
Unless you need a real high perspective, it's almost always best to get low and shoot from their eye level or a little below. There are lots of good ideas in this thread ... mostly with my son Isaac I've just been able to get him to pose as directed as long as the whole process can be over with in 5-10 minutes, a little longer if he's interested in the subject. I usually discuss with him what the photo is supposed to look like, why I want to submit that for the challenge, and how I plan to take the shot.
When I've been taking pictures of him at school, I've had good results with letting the kids take some pictures (of me or each other), and to show them a few of the pictures right away. I've found that getting them interested in the process of making the photo will encourage them to fulfill their essential role with some enthusiasm.
Most of my kid photos here (DPC entries) are posed, a few are not. I have some other kid pictures posted in a gallery at pBase.
June, a tried and true method for keeping the little tykes occupied: put a small dab of honey on their thumbs and forefingers, then give them a tiny feather to play with.
Is that kinda like putting tape on the bottom of cats feet? :-D
June, a tried and true method for keeping the little tykes occupied: put a small dab of honey on their thumbs and forefingers, then give them a tiny feather to play with.
Is that kinda like putting tape on the bottom of cats feet? :-D
. I have a question for those of you who do it. How do you get the little ones to hold a pose? Wondering cause I have a 4 year old sister that I'm gonna exploit when I go visit at the end of the month LOL...Not because she's my sister, but she is gorgeous and I would like to use her as a guinea pig but I'm concerned I'll have a hard time getting her to do what I want her to do. Do you just let them be themselves and do what they want? Even then, I'd like to get a few "posed" portraits.
