Very few beginning photographers (and far too many pros, as well) don't know how to photograph (or video) children, and as a result, we see far too many images of kids that are lacking in the "magic" that we all want to capture. Here's the "secret" of success with children - pay attention, follow my suggestions, and watch the beauty flow from your studio like the pure and refreshing rain from Heaven above.[True, the language is a bit flowery, but hey, cut me a little slack here, OK?]

Most of all, what you'll need to guarantee success when photographing children is an open heart, patience, and love for children; if you have that (and I'd bet you do), the fabulous images will come easy to you. Bracket your shots and burn up lots of film or use large memory cards - kids require it. And children (just like animals) KNOW, instinctively, who to trust, and to those of us who are blessed with a heart full of love for children and dogs and cats (and even iguanas:), it's guaranteed that we'll will tease from our subjects priceless images.

If you're going to the subject's home, ask the parents to have several changes of clothing and the children's favorite colorful toys ready; if the children are coming to your studio, or if you're going to an outdoor setting, have the parents bring these things along with them.

Now here's where we get to the important parts: Get down on the ground with the children, and shoot from their level (images taken from above - looking down upon the subject - imply that they are below us, subservient to us, something inferior to or less than equal to the photographer as well as the viewer of the image; we don't "look down" upon kids, we photograph them as equals, with respect and admiration. They are no less deserving than adults of our respect, so - if anything - we are honored by their presence and their trust of us. Do not betray their trust by photographing them in inferior positions; get down to their level, and with kindness, patience, and love, make images of them. See the wonder. joy, and divinity in the eyes of every child, and you will be blessed with beautiful pictures in every photo session (remember, though, that maybe one out of every 15 or 20 exposures will be good ones - kids blink, turn around, or look away at unpredictable times, so shoot lots of pictures).

Try different things; take a piece of cloth - an old towel or blanket, tear a hole in it, throw it over the child and let him/her peer out at us (and the world) through the hole. Make at least a dozen shots of that child's eye or part of his/her face peering out at the world through the hole in the cloth. Ask the child to make believe s/he is a puppy or a tiger or a superhero. Catch him/her in those make-believe sessions. Have the child sit on a colorful ball; tie something to a piece of string and swing it back and forth over the child's head, as you catch the child looking at and reaching for the swinging thing, capture several glorious pictures with the child reaching for the sky (crop out the thing on the string, though; the mystery of what the child is reaching for will make the image much more interesting to the viewer of the image).

Drag it (a toy or other gizmo) along the ground on a string, and let the child crawl after it. Forget what the books tell you to do and follow your heart. Smile a lot. Hug the kids a lot. Let them touch the camera (but not the glass on the lens); let them touch us. If the child is old enough to hold the camera, let him/her take a picture or two of us. Like we are, they, too, are a child of God, divinity resides in their hearts (as in ours). Ask the parents to hold the child and tickle him/her in a few shots.

Give them breaks whenever they need one. Care. Do that, and there's no possible way to fail. Make up your own "games" and techniques to elicit the magic from children. Try anything that comes to mind - keep the techniques that work, and discard those that don't. Play; learn; have fun. BE a kid. Remember the excitement of finding a new bug or getting a new toy; c'mon, we were ALL kids once, so just become a kid again - even for just a little while. Reach deep down, and pull out those memories (the good ones, anyway). Become something filled with wonder again. I promise, it doesn't hurt. Smile a lot. Tell the children you're photographing how handsome or beautiful they are. Tell them what great kids they are. They're kids - they'll believe you - and believing makes it true. Have fun with your photography; be happy doing it. Read the musings about the importance of photography to all of our lives in one of my other guides for an idea of how vital photography is to all of us.

Kick back, relax, get to know your equipment, and - most importantly of all (did I mention this before?) have fun! Do what you love, and you'll never work another day in your life. If you make a thousand exposures and don't get a single usable picture, will the world come to an end? Will you die then and there? No! So what's the worst possible outcome? You'll go out and buy another hundred rolls of film or erase the memory card and do it all over again. But what happens when you succeed? There's few feelings as great as watching the joy and wonder on the face of a parent the first time they see a wonderful and wondrous picture of their child(ren).

And when you do succeed, will success, fame and fortune destroy your life? Possibly, but not likely! So realize that this is a no-lose situation for you. I don't care if you order anything from me (really!). I'm doing well enough (thank goodness) so all I really want is to see you succeed. You don't need a ton of equipment to make a great image; all you need is the desire and will to try. Many fabulous pictures of yesteryear were made using a cardboard box with a pinhole in it! "Giving up" is for losers. The very instant that you give up trying is the instant that you fail. You're not a loser; you're a winner - you're searching for answers (if you weren't, you wouldn't be reading this). So go for it! You have very little to lose, and a whole lot to gain.

Also see the tips on making lots more money when photographing kids in my other guides (many more to come).

Thanks for taking the time to visit; I hope I was able to provide a little helpful information for you, and most of all, I hope you'll go make some wonderful images. If you need more help, check out my other guides, or drop me an e-mail.

Also, whatever you do, DON'T miss the great techniques for eliciting amazing images of kids in my "Secret photographic techniques#1 for photographing kids" guide! Go check it out now.

- Richard

“PhotoSource3” on eBay

© 2006 R. Morgan • All rights reserved

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