The Mom Crowd

As I indicated a few weeks ago, I’m a big picture-taker, and I have been my entire life. Strangely enough, I never took any formal photography classes in high school or college (and now I’m kicking myself for it.) I’ve taken a couple of community courses in the past few years and have been employing some of the things I learned ever since. That said, let me be clear: I take pictures for fun. I edit and print my photos based on what appeals to me, not necessarily what is “good photography”. I really have no mind for the science of photography and rely mostly on the auto features on my cameras. And I am totally aware that there is a myriad of amazing mom (and mom-to-be!) photographers out there. Those of you who took the plunge and tried Best Shot Monday know what I’m talkin’ ’bout! So don’t misunderstand and think that I think I’m some kind of photography genius. Oh, no.

Here’s what I’ve learned (all from books, other blogs, and the aforementioned classes). If you’re feeling like you just can’t get a good shot of your adorable child, try some of these basics:

• Get close up! There’s nothing more boring, in my opinion, than a picture of someone who is too far away. You shouldn’t have to squint to see what facial expression the subject has. This applies to larger group shots too. How many of those do you have where it’s a sea of “heads” and you can’t really make anyone out?

• Get down to the kid’s level. A picture taken from the parents’ point of view makes the child look really small. It’s a lot more exciting to see the child right up front rather than from above. I find it’s especially effective when you’re looking “up” to the child.

• Don’t make your child pose for every picture. Some of the most interesting pictures I’ve ever seen and taken are candid. Get into the habit of shooting every expression your child ever makes and every action he/she ever does, with or without them looking at the camera.

• Avoid the “say cheese!” routine. Those tend to yield the most unintentionally-lame smiles the kids muster. I’ve found that cracking a joke or doing something funny gets those natural smiles out quickly. This is easier to do with digital cameras, too, because they’re not directly up to your face, blocking your expressions from the kids. But you gotta be fast! Lately I’ve found myself singing “Head, shoulders, knees & toes” to Lucy to get a real smile out of her when I take pictures.

• Crop out whatever is distracting, unnecessary, or uninteresting. This vastly improves a picture. The idea is to fill the frame with the subject. If that’s impossible to do straight out of the camera (SOOC for you photo-philes), utilize a cropping tool in your photo software. I remember learning somewhere that it’s better to avoid using your zoom feature, and instead crop the far-away subject on your computer (the picture comes out clearer.) Here is a basic example:

Before:

After:

• It’s okay to cut off part of the subject’s head. I realized recently that I do this a lot! There are some old-school types who just can’t handle this, and that’s okay too. Whatever pleases you aesthetically should be your goal. My thought is that a good picture doesn’t have to be perfectly centered or framed. Here’s another post from Shutter Sisters on the same topic.

(I told you I do this a lot!)

•  Blurry photos aren’t necessarily bad photos.

•  Experiment with creative subjects and shoot from different angles. It’s fun to look at the “everyday” with a different perspective!

•  When shooting outdoors, have your subject wear something red. I’m not sure why, but red really pops in natural light. Here are some examples:

•  Cloudy or overcast days are best for outdoor pictures. I remember hearing somewhere that wedding photographers prefer overcast weather for outdoor shoots. Sunshine is indeed pretty; squinty faces in direct streaming sunlight are not. If it’s a blazingly sunny day, head for some shade for the people-pictures, if possible!

•  Take your camera everywhere; have it on hand at all times! I can’t stress this enough. The beauty of a digital camera is that you can take as many pictures as you want and just delete the bad ones, so take out your camera and play! You just might capture the perfect moment when you least expect to.

(As you can see, I’m a big fan of black & white and sepia tones for the classic moments!)

Some books that get these points across with lots of great examples are How To Photograph Your Baby, How to Photograph Your Family, and How To Photograph Your Life by Nick Kelsh. I like his books because they’re very easy to understand.

Other places online to find great tutorials and photographic inspiration (these people seriously put me to shame):

Shutter Sisters

Mother May I

The Land of K.A.

Momology

The Hip Momma’s Journal

Are a photography junkie like I am? Do you take scads of pictures of your children on a weekly (or daily!) basis? We’d love to see your photos. Link us to some of them in the comments section!