photographing children (nothing inappropriate)?

Question

Hello everyone,
I am a soon to be NYIP student and had some questions about photographing kids.

1. What are some common poses that you could position a child so that you can get the most dramatic effect?

2. Does positioning a child vary with gender? (differant poses for boys and girls)

3. Is it better to photograph indoors or outdoors?

4. Do candid shots make good portraits ( I like the idea of having the kid either playing a game or watching a favorite movie and getting reaction shots)

Can anyone Please give me ANY advice that would be beneficial to what I hope will be a new career?

Thank you

Answer 1

Argh so somehow what I was just typing got deleted. I am by no means a professional, but I've done a lot of child photography. Here are my best pointers (sorry my numbers don't coincide with yours):

1. All my best photos have been taken outside.
2. All my best photos have been taken with the child engaged--give them a prop or ask them a question, then snap while they're answering.
3. Take photos at the child's level, not from above unless you're doing it from directly above for dramatic effect (like one I did of my nephew who was sprawled on a little bridge looking up at me saying, "I falled," which is what I subsequently named the photo).
4. Candid works well for photo albums, but not necessarily for portraits, though there are some good ones from it being candid. A rule of thumb about portraits, though, is that for a good portrait, the subjects are generally engaged with the camera (not always).
5. If you need help getting a child to stay in place, coax them to step on a spider or other pattern on the floor.
6. Tell jokes.
7. Make sure the child is comfortable around you. Don't just start snapping pictures. Chat with them first. Find out stuff about them. It is difficult to get a good picture if the child is uncomfortable around you.

Hope those help just a bit.

Answer 2

How young is the child? Some of them have (well, I have to say, most of them) have very short attention span.. and I can't take more than a dozen or two photos before they get bored, or restless.

Some won't pose at all. I think it's really difficult to take good photos of children.

Outdoor in the shade is what I prefer.

I have never been sucessful in taking a good 'formal' portrait of a child. Taking a portrait of an adult is hard enough--but of a young child.. I am just not good at it.

I do agree with your question 4 re: candid shot--I think they look more comfortable.

I look at some parenting magazines and do wonder how they do it so well.

I am sorry I have not been that helpful.

Answer 3

In this instance, no it is not appropriate. There was no criminal intent by the persons responsible for printing and distributing the yearbook. Nor was there any criminal intent by anyone who received the yearbook. In fact I doubt that the majority of the students or the school community would have noticed what was in the background of one single picture, if this situation had not been blown up all out of proportion. (A picture taken at a school dance is rarely of interest to anyone who isn't either in it, or a friend or relative of someone who is in the picture.) Also, I feel there is a gross difference between pornography and a picture of two teenagers making out. Maybe the picture would be offensive to some people, but honestly, I remember seeing and reading worse in Dolly Magazine when I was a kid. (An Australian magazine, aimed at adolescent girls.) I don't know what the exact laws are in the United States, but in South Australia, the laws governing child pornography are quite harsh. The offender, regardless of their age, will have their names placed on a child sex offenders register, where they will stay for life. This prevents them from ever working with or near children, and they cannot live within 200 metres of a school or child care centre. I agree with those laws to an extent - yes, children should be protected from harm as much as possible. However, the law as it stands means that several juveniles have already been charged and their names placed on that register for sexting. This means that they are virtually unemployable once they leave school and will have a huge impact on the rest of their lives. I think that education, or in extreme cases, being charged without being entered on the child sex offenders register, would be the more appropriate response. I think that sexting is a dumb thing to do, but I don't think it's right that that person should be treated in the same manner as an adult sex offender. Finally, in the case of the yearbook, it seems that the whole thing has blown out of proportion. As I said, there was no criminal intent on behalf of anyone who received a yearbook - it was distributed as a memory of that particular year at school, not as an excuse to distribute child pornography.

Answer 4

You might find these books of interest. They were reviewed in the Dec. 2007 issue of Shutterbug Magazine and can be read on-line at shutterbug.com.

"Professional Children's Portrait Photography: Techniques and Images from Master Photographers" by Lou Jacobs, Jr.

"Children's Portrait Photography: A Photojournalistic Approach" by Kevin Newsome

"Professional Portrait Posing: Techniques and Images from Master Photographers" by Michelle Perkins

Also, any books you can find by Monte Zucker. He was a Master Portrait Photographer. Unfortunately, he passed away earlier this year.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Answer 5

I'm not a pro, but I like natural settings for my own children. You could duplicate these at the home of your subjects.

For instance:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/2062439224/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/1316716419/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/1897832570/

Here's a bad example:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/1959869071/
(haha)

I never did any studio portraits, so you will get some better answers, I'm sure. Some parents want an annual studio package to keep a record of the child's development.