Child’s play
QMy sister wants me to take some shots of her one-year-old daughter. How should I approach the shoot? John Barrett
AApproach it with enthusiasm and the idea you’re going to have fun, and make sure your niece is going to enjoy it, too, by having her favourite toys on-hand. You can’t plan too much when it comes to really young children, so if you turn everything into one big game, that’s going to yield you the most natural photos.
At one year old, your niece may be walking, but she’ll still spend a lot of time crawling about, so you need to get right down to her level. If you’re indoors, the space is likely to be limited as well as cluttered, but if there’s an area such as a family room or large kitchen where you have a bit more space, that’s a good place to start. I’d use a standard zoom, such as a 24-70mm, if you have one, and shoot with wide apertures like f/4 to give yourself maximum light and blur the background. Shoot with the AF on continuous focus and make sure your shutter speed doesn’t drop below about 1/250 sec, or you’ll risk subject movement and camera shake.
Focus, of course, needs to be on the eyes, but expect to mess up a few shots: a child that age will always be on the move. Use natural light where possible, but if you need to supplement it, bouncing flash off a ceiling will help diffuse it and make it softer. Timing is also the key to the best shots: you want to capture a smile or a laugh, or perhaps a mischievous glint in the eye.