Work with children
CATHERINE O’DONNELL reveals how to focus on the younger members of your family and work with the cutest but most demanding clients
Conducting children on a photoshoot is one of the most challenging aspects of a portrait photographer’s working day. Not only do images of kids require a specific set of creative skills, but your subjects are often excitable, with a limited attention span, and are very rarely stationary for long. This gives you a narrow window in which to capture your images as planned. Developing your abilities as a child photographer is a useful strategy, however, as infant portraiture is one of the most popular genres of high street photography and can be lucrative. So what better way to bolster your confidence in this challenging area than working with your own family at home?
For any shoot that involves children, speed and efficiency are the key to successful images. This process requires a streamlining of both your directional skills and the functionality of your equipment. Setting up your camera to allow rapid-fire images will enable you to shoot as many frames as possible in your restricted window. This is another area where possessing a thorough knowledge of your kit and how it can be customised is of great benefit.
Over the next few pages, portrait professional Catherine O’Donnell offers some of her secrets to shoot next-level child portraits.
For any shoot involving children, speed and efficiency are the key to successful images
12 LOWER YOUR CAMERA
“Family portraits generally look better when they’re shot at eye level, so that you’re not looking down or up at your subject,” Catherine suggests. “This might mean you have to get down on one knee, or lie prone on the ground to get the shot – it’s a good idea to wear clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty on these kind of shoots. Shooting at eye level will make the background further away too, which makes it easier to throw it into a pleasing blur when using a wide aperture like f/1.8.”
13 FOLLOW THE LEADER
“Kids will be kids and just want to run around – so let them! You can get some fantastic impromptu shots when they’re running around, climbing trees, swinging from the branches, and just generally having fun.” Catherine goes on: “Shoot photos with them leading the way and going where they want to go, and you’ll soon win them over. After this you’ll find it much easier to round them up for family group photographs later on. You just need to strike the right balance between fun and posed shots – the last thing you want during your photoshoot is bored, irritable children.”
14 GO MANUAL
Working in Manual mode means that we can get consistent exposures during a shoot, even when the background or clothing changes. Catherine checks her pictures on the back of the camera regularly to make sure they’re correctly exposed and sharp. She also shoots in RAW format to give her that extra editing flexibility with the exposure and white balance when she’s back at her computer.
15 DON’T FORCE SMILES
When shooting in any setting, Catherine always tries her best to capture the kids and families looking as natural as possible, and avoids attempting to force any smiles out of her family subjects. “Just let the kids be themselves, and shoot any magical moments that come up along the way,” she advises.
16 SHOOT FROM AFAR
“Make use of short telephoto lenses. Optics that have a focal length of around 70-200mm will give you a much more compressed perspective. This enables you to get frame-filling shots from further away, and makes it possible to capture the candid reportage-style shots that are on trend right now,” Catherine tells us.
17 EMPLOY DISTRACTION TACTICS
Props are a great way to keep the kids interested and help you get you out of a jam when their energy levels start to dip, which tends to happen after about an hour of shooting. With little children, those who are around only two years old, Catherine sometimes waves a cuddly toy next to her camera to get them to look in her direction and increase eye contact with the camera.
18 GET KIDS INVOLVED
“The hardest part of a family shoot is winning the kids over, so get them involved by showing them some of the pictures you take as you go along,” Catherine advises. “Be sure to give them a high five so they know they’re doing a good job too!”
19 CAPTURE SPONTANEITY
Catherine tells us that imperfection can itself be perfect sometimes, so watch out for these moments of spontaneity, where the children are running around or doing things they shouldn’t be doing. They can often make great picture opportunities.
20 USE A REFLECTOR
“Lighting is exceptionally important with portraits, and a reflector is a great way to bounce some of the available light back at your model, to make the image brighter and reduce harsh shadows,” Catherine says. “Using the silver side of a 110cm 5-in-1 reflector injects a slightly cool silver light back onto the subject, to lift the shadows, and is great for creating catchlights in the eyes too.”
21 MONITOR SUN POSITION
Catherine’s final tip is: “Keep an eye on the position of the sun when shooting in your garden – bright sunlight will give you faster shutter speeds, but also harsher shadows. It’s best to guide the family towards a shady spot for more gentle and even lighting. It will also stop them squinting!”
Catherine is an awardwinning portrait photographer who has been published in magazines globally. She’s known for her laid-back approach to family portraiture, which helps her capture natural poses and special moments that don’t look forced. Being a mum of two keeps her on her toes, but also gives her ample opportunities to perfect her portraits.