Shooting Kids 'In Situ' C&C?

[katsrevenge]

I almost never get a chance to shoot people. But I have nephews. Any suggestions to get better ones next time? They don't really sit that still though... and the older one makes faces if he thinks you are going to take his picture...
1.

2.

3

4.

 

[cherylynne1]

Haha! Since I shoot kids almost exclusively, I feel your pain.

I like the first one the best. I like the lines created from holding hands and pointing. I like that it's telling a story. But I really want to see what he's pointing at, or at least where we are. Also not crazy about the headless person.

For number 2, the skin tones are a bit washed out for me, I'd warm them up a little. I would also crop this a lot, because the background is mostly uninteresting and Mom's hair is a bit messy. Rule #1: Always make Mom look good!!

Which leads to number 3, where Mom is not in a flattering outfit or position, and the boy is blurry. For me, that one is a throwaway.

For number 4, there's too much cropped off without being able to see what he's looking at. I think the general rule is that you can crop the top of the head but not the ears.

When taking lifestyle photos of kids, there are two things you're aiming for: a story and the climax of the moment. Don't try to just copy other photos you see. Try to really focus on the child's personality. Are they active and rambunctious? Get them jumping or climbing. Are they quiet and pensive? Try getting moody lighting with them looking out a window. Are they curious? Try capturing that intense look of concentration as they explore something new.

As for the climax of the moment, what you're looking is the highest point of tension. The easiest way to explain it is to think of a yawn. If you capture the photo when the mouth is halfway open or halfway closed, there's no tension, and the person just looks stoned. But at the height of the yawn, there is an extreme tension that makes the yawn recognizable. Smiles and laughs have these moments too.

Try to get the kids involved in the process. Ask them what pictures they want to take, jumping or funny faces or anything. Show them the pictures afterward. Then they'll be more likely to do a couple of photos that you want as well.

To get natural smiles and expressions, I'll usually talk to them about whatever interests them. Yes, this means that sometimes you'll be treated to a fifteen minute tirade on the intricacies of Minecraft. But if you feign interest and excitement, you can capture real passion on their faces. Of course, you don't want to catch them while their mouths are forming words, and catching them in between can take some practice. Sometimes the best pictures are while I'm asking clarifying questions and they're about to answer.

You can also get them to say "Hi!" instead of "cheese." People naturally smile when greeting someone, and it's more natural than the toothy "cheesy" smile.

 

[katsrevenge]

I bet a lot of these work when the moms are paying! LOL.. Or at least work better. I do agree with many of your critiques though. 3 needed a wider DoF. She was trying to wrangle them together for me.. orange hoody was sulking and grey hoody was overjoyed at being in town, LOL.

All I have are cheap cell phone pics of these kids. I just wanted a few semi-decent ones that I could maybe even print out. Basically we took a walk and I brought the camera. 2 and 4 are my favorites, 2 because he's finally clearly in focus and 4 because the kid was acting normally. Had to 'stealth' that one. Unfortunately it shows. I will edit 2, I think, warm it up as you suggested.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Figure out your settings to get a proper exposure before you start taking pictures, use a fast enough shutter speed to prevent blur, and notice the background and adjust for the height of the subjects - change your vantage point as needed.

Learn and practice how to frame and compose shots as things are happening. It can take a certain amount of watching and waiting for a moment to occur that would make for a good picture. Takes practice.

(edit - #2 and 4 will need cropping and editing; think about your use of space in the frame and around the subjects.)

 

[katsrevenge]

What are (in general) decent settings for kids? I had the camera on full auto. I don't have them around enough to want to 'waste' any time.

 

[cherylynne1]

I usually try for around 1/200, f4.5, ISO 200. That's pretty much my ideal. I never drop below 1/100, I try not to open wider than f2.8, and I try not to go higher than ISO 3200. If you've got good light, speed up the shutter. Those little buggers move fast!

 

[Designer]

What are (in general) decent settings for kids? I had the camera on full auto. I don't have them around enough to want to 'waste' any time.

On full auto, have your back to the sun so your subjects are well lighted. You don't have to shove the camera in their faces, just take the shot. You can crop later. Get the camera down to their neck level or lower. Try to anticipate their actions so you can capture candid moments. Take lots of pictures, and plan on throwing out most of them. Keep only the good ones. Frame wide enough so you're not chopping off arms and legs. Try to get shots that have two or three children at once. Try to get shots where the children are engaged in an activity, and not watching you. Don't ask the children to "pose". If you keep the camera out and ready (and clicking), they will soon forget you're there.

 

[Derrel]

Ideal setting vary a little bit, but a good start is to use a strategic approach. THe best settings allow you to stop motion, and to shoot FAST, without the need for steadying-down and slow-fire breathing techniques. That means a moderate f/stop, like say f/5.6, and a fast-ish shutter speed, like 1/300 second to 1/500 second.

Setting that exposure, f/5.6 at 1/300 or 1/350 second is great with any shorter lens, like an 18-55 mm zoom. With a modern d-slr, using Manual mode and AUTO-ISO with the maximum ISO value set to 1,600, you'll be good to go from 2 hrs after sunrise to 2 hours before sunset with a shorter lens.

A longer lens, like an 80-200 or 70-300 also needs f/5.6 or so, but a bit faster speed of 1/500 to 1/800 second is best in daylight hours.

If you really,really have NO time to waste, the correct AUTO ISO set-up will be of huge value.

Get LOW. Watch the backgrounds very,very carefully. Candid kid photography is very demanding--you must constantly keep one eye on the child, and one eye on the background, as seen through the viewfinder. I'm not kidding--this kind of photography demands that you make a LOT of very fast decisions, moving over to the left, over to the right is a constantly- occurring thing you need to do to keep the backgrounds under control. The wider the lens angle, the more background you get, which can be helpful at times, to show context and location, or it can just as easily, allow in cluttery stuff. Look for clean backgrounds.

Have you ever thrown a fistful of pocket change into a lawn and seen what happens? Especially one that has plenty of dimes and quarters in it.

 

[katsrevenge]

Thanks everyone. I shall write this down for Easter.

(Gonna try it on the cats first...sort of like kids.. right?)

The coin thing is brilliant.

 

[beagle100]

All I have are cheap cell phone pics of these kids. I just wanted a few semi-decent ones that I could maybe even print out. Basically we took a walk and I brought the camera. 2 and 4 are my favorites, 2 because he's finally clearly in focus and 4 because the kid was acting normally. Had to 'stealth' that one. Unfortunately it shows. I will edit 2, I think, warm it up as you suggested.

those are actually pretty good for cell phone pics, like others have indicated get a DSLR or mirrorless camera where you can shoot children "semi-decently"

kids pics are very similar to adult pics !

Untitled by c w, on Flickr

 

[Designer]

Have you ever thrown a fistful of pocket change into a lawn and seen what happens? Especially one that has plenty of dimes and quarters in it.

Not so much for photos, but lots of fun. We used to toss coins into the pool for kids to dive for. The last day of summer, I'd toss coins of varying visibility and for kids of varying dive ability. The little kids would get their coins in the shallow end. Pennies were easier to see at a distance, but I'd make sure to allocate some dimes and quarters as well. Sometimes there would be coins that the kids missed after they all got out. Everybody got a cup or bag in which to keep their money. Tons of fun.

 

[katsrevenge]

All I have are cheap cell phone pics of these kids. I just wanted a few semi-decent ones that I could maybe even print out. Basically we took a walk and I brought the camera. 2 and 4 are my favorites, 2 because he's finally clearly in focus and 4 because the kid was acting normally. Had to 'stealth' that one. Unfortunately it shows. I will edit 2, I think, warm it up as you suggested.

those are actually pretty good for cell phone pics, like others have indicated get a DSLR or mirrorless camera where you can shoot children "semi-decently"

kids pics are very similar to adult pics !

Untitled by c w, on Flickr

I took my DSLR along for the walk. LOL I don't see them that often...and their mothers use a few cellphones for everything. This was the Xmass photo I got from one of my sisters. It's the good one.

I really don't shoot people very often. Not even the larger non-wiggly ones! I generally am more into flowers, stars and ...clouds... I love clouds. Which was why I wanted some good C&C. (And I'm getting it. )

 

[Designer]

I can't get the EXIF. It looks soft to me.

 

[katsrevenge]

Do cell phones have that data? ??

 

[cherylynne1]

Yeah, cell phone pictures have EXIF, it just often gets stripped when transferring to social media. I have an app that lets me read EXIF of my pictures on my phone.