Wednesday 14 March 2018

5 Tips for Photographing Toddlers

Sitting babies are perfect for photographing, mostly because they stay where you put them.  Toddlers are notoriously more tricky as they are not so co-operative and definitely not as still!  These are my top 5 tips for taking photos of toddlers and capturing this amazing stage in their lives.

1) Get down on their level.

The best angle is usually theirs so I usually photograph my little people whilst sitting on the floor.  It means I can see their faces and expressions clearer and capture the way they move.  Sit on the floor or crouch down so that the camera is at their face level to get a great shot.

Top Tips for Photographing Toddlers, themummyadventure.com

Top Tips for Photographing Toddlers, themummyadventure.com


2) Quick shutter speed on manual

If you are shooting on a 'big' camera, then the key to capturing these little sprinters is a fast shutter speed.  The faster your camera can take the picture, the less likely you are to get motion blur.  With toddlers I think you need 1/200 as a minimum and 1/320 or above if they are moving

Top Tips for Photographing Toddlers, themummyadventure.com


3) The subject doesn't always have to be central

Sometimes it seems easiest to keep the subject in the centre of the shot but often the most interesting ones are a little different.  Imagine there are lines across the screen splitting the image into three across and down.  Try framing your shot with the subject centred on one of these lines.  This is called the rule of thirds and is a great way to capture something natural.

Top Tips for Photographing Toddlers, themummyadventure.com


4) Think about the little details

Photos don't have to feature the whole child, sometimes they can tell a story with just a little detail, the way they hold a toy, or a facial expression, or the way they swing their legs and some of the best photos focus on one little detail rather than the bigger picture.  Try experimenting with different styles to capture the little things.

Top Tips for Photographing Toddlers, themummyadventure.com

Top Tips for Photographing Toddlers, themummyadventure.com


5) Show what you know, the best photos aren't staged, 
they are those that capture the behaviour and expressions you love

You know your own children better than anyone else, you know how to get smiles, you know the little looks they give, the little features that someone else might miss so try and use this information to capture what you know.  Snap away whilst they are busy playing, capture the candid moments when they are being natural and they will be the photos you treasure.

Top Tips for Photographing Toddlers, themummyadventure.com

Top Tips for Photographing Toddlers, themummyadventure.com

Those are my top tips for photographing toddlers.  What would you add?

Top Tips for Photographing Toddlers, themummyadventure.com

Top Tips for Photographing Toddlers, themummyadventure.com
PIN ME!



1 comment:

  1. Love this post as I'm (still) learning to shoot on manual, particularly the children- afraid I have no tips to add but have bookmarked your post for the shutter speed tips, thank you!

    ReplyDelete

I love comments, so please let me know what you think!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...