Poses for photographing with a 6 month old baby. At what age is it better to shoot a baby up to a year? Is it possible to take pictures of children under one year old

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How should children be photographed? This question is asked by many parents, so we dedicate this lesson, in which we will help you with the choice of equipment and shooting parameters, give advice on layout and work with light, and also reveal the basics of communication with children necessary for photographing them.

Traditionally for our photo school, all tips are divided into 2 parts - camera settings and shooting practice itself. And don't be confused by the number of the lesson - you will succeed! :)

Let's start with some tips for setting up your camera for photographing children.

aperture priority mode. Shooting in this mode and fast optics will allow you to control the depth of field (DOF), which is important for portrait shooting to blur the background of your photos, focusing on the subject. The optimal value will be f / 2.2-2.8 (according to shooting conditions) for a portrait close-up, and f/2.8-4 for shooting full-length portrait. These values are arbitrary, used personally by the author of the lesson, and you can practically determine the settings of your camera that you consider more correct.

If your camera does not have aperture priority mode (i.e. your camera does not have manual settings), you can use the "portrait" mode. When using this mode, the camera's automation will open the maximum aperture for the focal length you have chosen, reducing the depth of field.

ISO- depending on where the photo is taken (indoors or outdoors) and on what kind of light, set the ISO value to the lowest possible value to prevent noise. ISO at 100-200 - if the lighting is good enough. If the lighting is insufficient and the shutter speed at low ISO turns out to be long, you can compensate for this by increasing the ISO, but I recommend no more than 800.

Excerpt- try to use 1/200 for a static portrait when your child is posing, and if the children are not sitting still - turn up to 1/500 or higher. As mentioned above, if there is not enough light and the shutter speed in aperture priority mode is set longer than 1/125, increase the ISO or open the aperture slightly. If your camera does not have manual settings, use the sport settings mode.

Focus mode- set the focus mode to one point - with children who are constantly moving, this will be the optimal mode. In simple soap dishes, unfortunately, you cannot select the camera focus mode (maybe you should think about changing the camera?).

Image format when shooting- if you have the time and skills to process photos, then try to take pictures in RAW format. This will give you more options for post-processing. And again, I state that digital compacts do not allow you to choose the format for saving images.

Flash / Lighting- if there is a "hot shoe" connector in the camera, it is better to immediately refuse to use the built-in flash. If photography is taking place indoors, use an external flash to bounce light off a wall or ceiling (if they are white) or use a diffuser to get indirect light. If a external flash no, or the camera doesn't allow one - try to shoot in natural light and don't worry about flash (except when you're shooting into the sun and you'll need a fill flash).

Lenses. If your camera is with interchangeable lenses, then the choice is determined from the condition that was described at the beginning of the lesson - a large aperture. When shooting children in dynamics, it is necessary to use a zoom lens, while static shooting - the best option there will be, of course, a lens with a fixed focal length. A TV zoom lens allows you to shoot casual scenes from a distance, while a wide-angle lens allows you to take panoramic shots.

This is done with the settings, it's time to go directly to the practice of shooting.

Children photography practice

Before giving specific advice on photographing children, it should be mentioned that the child in the process of photographing should feel as comfortable and at ease as possible. You can show your child the photos you have taken, let the camera look at them, or let them take some pictures themselves.

The place where you will take pictures, if it is situational, but try to think in advance of 2-3 scenes that you would like to capture. Shoot outdoors (for example, in a park or forest) and indoors (for example, a bedroom or a room where a child plays). Find a spot with a simple, low-key backdrop for posing (and make sure there's no carpet in the back!). Choose places where children will have fun and interest, then you can take pictures of them in a relaxed atmosphere in the game.

Hidden photography- try to photograph children as discreetly as possible. They can do their favorite things at this time. Use a TV lens.

Avoid staged shooting where, for example, a child sits among toys with a sour face and stares blankly at them. The picture is called "Happy Birthday", but another name suits it best: "I got this photographer and all your gifts." Unfortunately, social networks just teeming with just such photos.

posing- older children love to pose, but small children are not very attentive to this and the photos in which they pose may look a little unnatural and forced.

The best time to shoot babies is between 6 and 9 months. Then we have the most angelic faces, wide eyes and the most controlled mood. During this period, babies look at what they are shown, lie where they are laid, touch what they are given. All in all, ideal models. In a year or two, character begins to appear. Here, as luck would have it. Maybe all the games that you have prepared for him will be completely uninteresting to him. At three or four children, it is difficult to make them stand in one place. Do not even hope that you will put a small child in front of the lens, and he will smile at you radiantly, turn in different directions and react to everything you say. Will not. 100%. The film set turns into a platform for active games, and you always want to play not where you take pictures. But closer to 5 years, the child can already pose well.

Take pictures at the level of the child's face- ordinary Small child not higher than half of your height, and if you photograph it from your height, the pictures will turn out to be ordinary and not expressive, and the proportions of the child’s body will be violated. Therefore, sit down at the level of the child's eyes.

Using the zoom. Can be enlarged focal length zooming, but do not forget that in this case, lenses with a variable aperture value reduce aperture, and, accordingly, the shutter speed increases and the depth of field increases. It's best not to use the zoom, leaving the lens at wide angle and taking pictures in the surrounding context, while remembering that the pictures should also be dominated by the children's faces, and not just the surroundings.

Focus on the eyes. Pay maximum attention to the eyes of the child. Clear eyes in the picture will always draw the attention of the viewer to it.

Background. Pay attention to the background of your photos. The background gives context to photos, but it can also detract from the main subject. Before shooting, remove all unnecessary objects from the frame. Experiment with backgrounds of different colors and textures, or vice versa, take a picture so that the background is not visible at all.

clothing- choose clothes in which the child will be comfortable and which will reflect his personality. It's also good to have a few different costumes if you're filming in different locations. Avoid bright, flashy colors and accessories in the frame - they distract attention from the child's eyes and create a kind of color spot - the visual center of the photo.

For original pictures use continuous shooting mode.

Include other people in the frame as another way to help the child to be liberated - add parents, brothers, sisters, friends, etc. This will add intent to the relationship in the frame and distract the child from the photographer. Shooting two children is more interesting than one, but also more difficult. Here the emotions of one child must coincide with the emotions of another, otherwise there will be complete confusion. Here, too, it is easier to give them some kind of task and film what they will do. Only then the photo will not look simulated.

Make your photo session as fun as possible. Try to cheer up the child, ask him to do some funny things, this will make the pictures more energetic and help the child to relax. The more fun the child is, the more sincere and original his pictures will be.

Light scheme, which you will apply indoors, should not be complex and heavily customizable. Tell the children to stand here, and they will move half a meter to the side. And it is on the side that the most good shots. If your light is set to a specific point and a specific angle, you will not succeed much. It is easy to shoot children against a white background, where a step to the right, a step to the left does not play a big role, although, of course, you still need to follow the light, and, if possible, correct it.

Separate photography in kindergartens and schools

The production process of school photography requires careful organization. The fact is that taking a photo of one class, usually, you can spend time comparable to one lesson. There are twenty-five to forty-five students in a class. The lesson lasts forty-five minutes. Therefore, the photographer has only one minute for each portrait.

A portable studio in a miniature version consists of a studio flash with a power of 150 joules (with a distance of 130 cm from the umbrella to the eyes of a child, it gives aperture 8), an umbrella with a diameter of 100 cm (it is bad to move the umbrella more than thirty meters from the eyes. At the same time, it ceases to give soft black and white drawing, and it is impossible to use large-diameter umbrellas: they take up too much space), a reflector to the right of the photographer (twenty cm from the child’s shoulder) and a source of drawing light (ideally, it should stand so that during the shooting process you don’t need it too much move frequently, about 20 cm above the child's head, angle - 45 degrees to the axis of the lens).

Opening a hole even more than 8 is bad, because there is no margin for depth of field, and in the event of the slightest mistake, you can get a marriage. Given the pace of shooting, it's best not to risk it.

Children at recess break loose, rush like meteors, now and then knocking down the fence of chairs built around the studio. It costs them nothing to fill up any of the flashes on the floor. Therefore, at breaks, shooting stops, the photographer retrains as a security guard.

The lens should allow you to shoot a half-length portrait from an arm's length. This is important, because now and then children have to straighten shirt collars, ties, and bangs. Portrait lenses are distinguished by their soft pattern, shallow depth of field, and usually large aperture.

When shooting a class, turn off autofocus and frame the frame so that the head of the person being portrayed occupies three-quarters of the frame, there is not too much body, and there is little space above the head blurred background. Now focus on the child's eyes and seal the focusing ring with tape. The main thing is that the scale of the image of the heads does not change in the process of work. When they all come together on one cool vignette, heads of different sizes will look ugly. You will have to focus by changing the position of your own head: either approaching the client’s eyes, or moving away from them. Not very convenient, but the product is guaranteed standard at the output. Another one important little thing. At the moment of shooting, the camera mirror is raised, and you lose sight of the person for a brief moment. And it is at this moment that he strives to blink. There is only one way to avoid this during the shooting process: you need to look with one eye into the lens, and with the other - directly at the child and, if necessary, shoot a take. To insure against mistakes, now and then looking at the camera display, is not an option - the pace of work gets lost.

On the eve of shooting, children usually receive a lot of “useful” advice from their parents. A trained child, sitting on a chair in front of the photographer, inflates like a bubble, begins to straighten her hair, collar, chew her own lips, or gives out such a wry smile that it is just right to burst out laughing. A lot in this case depends on the behavior of the photographer. You can't let a child recover. As soon as you sit him down and straighten his hair, clothes, immediately ask him some stupid question that has nothing to do with shooting, but requires switching attention. For example: “How much will kvazhda kva?”, “What is your cat’s name?”, “Turn your nose a little to the left”, etc. You should have quite a lot of such blanks in stock so that for each next child the question is unexpected.

Children usually stand in line near the studio and watch everything that happens like a small performance in which the photographer is both the director and the actor at the same time. And because of whether the children are interested in the performance, their behavior during the shooting depends. At the moment when the child hears the question, he willy-nilly shifts his attention from the desire to be beautiful and control the muscles of the face to thinking about an unexpected question. His physiognomy at this time acquires a natural expression. This is the moment of truth, catch it, press the trigger. After a moment, the child will think about the question and respond: he will begin to speak, smile and begin to play “handsome” again.

You should not shoot talking children, squeeze smiles out of them if they themselves do not smile at you with full confidence. Uneven teeth or all sorts of glands in the mouth are very ugly. It's better for these guys not to open their mouths at all.

Children should not be allowed to stand directly behind you. They begin to make faces, show horns, in a word, entertain the one who is already filming. This knocks down the rhythm of shooting, interferes with the creation of the optimal mood of the whole class. Confidence, benevolence, calmness, mild tolerance for children's pranks and at the same time firmness in organizational requirements are absolutely necessary. If you manage to persuade the teacher to tidy up her tomboys, and you do not waste time combing recalcitrant tufts and putting collars and ties in order, you will be able to remove the entire class in forty-five minutes and not "produce" marriage.

Senior classes are more difficult to shoot. The girls are all fashion models. They may sit in a chair with their back to the light because that side of their face seems better to them. Asking to move is useless. It is necessary to prepare in advance for the rearrangement of the light and mark on the floor the installation site of the rack with an umbrella. Large guys will have to shoot while standing. Conversations with them and distractions should be more sophisticated and humorous. Commands in an orderly tone do not pass. In a confrontational environment, filming goes badly. Many guys have teenage acne. Therefore, stock up on good covering powder and masking pencils. Under the friendly laughter of the guys, they will have to paint their cheeks and foreheads at a fast pace, not listening to objections. The result is quite decent portraits without pimples and freckles. The alternative is computer retouching.

That's all for today. I hope the materials in this lesson were interesting and useful for you. Good luck and all the photographic to you!

Why, when we show plump photo albums of our child to friends or relatives, their interest is lost already on the third page? Is there something wrong with the child? Why don't they like him? But you and I know that our baby is the best, beautiful, talented ... in general, the very best! Or maybe it's the photos themselves? How to photograph children correctly?

In this article, we'll give you ten tips for capturing your little one in a variety of situations. Maybe you will recognize your previous mistakes and next time your photos will be more interesting.

Filming for the game

What could be more beautiful than a child who loves to play? But, here's the bad luck, in the pictures you get either the back, or the crown, or even the back of the fidget's head, and you can’t even make out what he is playing there. Familiar situation? Let's fix it.

Think about the fact that you are not only a photographer, but also a director. Therefore, offer your child your own rules of the game. Not all games are equally good for shooting. If only because it is very difficult to focus on a running and jumping child, and calm drawing threatens that in the frame, in addition to pencils and paper, there will be only the hair of a young creator. What to do?

First, take your dad, grandmother, or someone else as an assistant, who will not only play with the child, but also make sure that he is well positioned in relation to the camera, and also not dirty, sweaty, disheveled ... the baby will definitely not be up to his own appearance. Second, choose a game. A ball game is fine. At the same time, the kid stands still and catches the ball thrown by the adult. Looks funny version of hide-and-seek, codenamed "ku-ku". The kid hides from an adult behind a tree (wall, closet), periodically looking out with a perky “cuckoo”. By the way, your assistant should be located as close as possible to you. It's not that calm games are not at all suitable for shooting. Suitable, but in order to take a picture, you have to constantly tear your baby away from an exciting activity. He must be looking at you! And drawing or designers require care.

If you just want to be the paparazzi and take pictures of the baby at his everyday games, try to take pictures from the level of his eyes and not distract the child too much.

Photographing at home

I must admit that most often you have to take pictures at home. Did you know that these are almost the most difficult conditions for photographing children? It doesn't matter if you own an expensive DSLR or a simple compact, you will still face the same problems, which, by the way, can be solved. As a rule, home photos are taken with a flash. But in vain, because the light from the built-in flash completely kills the volume, texture of the skin, overexposes the forehead or nose, causes "red-eye", and simply makes the picture everyday and uninteresting. Try to give up this “useful” feature in the camera and you will see how much more interesting portraits of your baby will look.

Does the sun ever shine in your room? Excellent! It's time to take pictures! Do you have windows in your apartment? Even in cloudy weather, there is amazing light near the window. Just invite the child to play on the windowsill. You ask, how to be in winter, when it gets dark at three o'clock in the afternoon, and the light bulb is constantly on in the room? Get more light bulbs! Desktop, sconces, do not forget to turn on the overhead light - everything will fit, and the more powerful, the better! Just remember to switch the white balance to incandescent mode and raise the sensitivity to ISO 800 just in case.

In the bright sun

Let's go outside... Sometimes it's worth turning a usual walk into an exciting photo session, taking a camera with you. A sunny day (evening or morning is better - at this time the best light) is perfect for shooting. The only thing that should not be forgotten is the black shadows on the opposite side from the sun. We were taught from childhood that you can’t shoot against the sun. It is quite possible that this rule arose from the natural frugality of our ancestors: in 9 cases out of 10 people shot against the sun turned into a black silhouette ... the frame was rejected, but it was a pity for the film ... However, there was one more case when a surprisingly unusual photo came out. You can, for example, remember that your camera has a "harmful" flash. It will illuminate the face, and the gentle curls on the head of your baby will glow in the sun. By the way, a rare case when it is really needed!

You can come up with something more complicated. For example, take a piece of foil with you and, reflecting the sun's rays, highlight the shadows on the child's face. I do not urge to shoot only against the sun, let the baby spin as he wants and play for his own pleasure: your task is not to lose his face from the frame and remember that the details in the shadows should be highlighted.

Portrait with parents

Has it become too quiet on Odnoklassniki? Submit your new baby portrait! Flurry of fives and comments provided. And it would be nice if this portrait was successful.

If you are thinking of a self-portrait, a mirror will be the best helper. Position yourself in front of him so that you can see how you are filming a child at play. The more natural the situation looks, the better. You can do without it by setting the camera on a 10-second timer and jump to the baby in time, but here you risk not only getting an unnatural plot, but also losing one of the models altogether. During this time, the child will have time to run to the kitchen itself. I recommend taking pictures of yourself with outstretched hands only if you have a good sense of humor, and you are not ashamed to show your friends two heavily distorted faces. The fact is that from such a close distance, both of you will fit into the frame only if the camera is at minimum zoom. In this zoom position, everything that is close to the camera becomes exaggeratedly large compared to what is further away. Do you want an example? Look at the samovar!

As for portraits with grandparents and other relatives, there is nothing worse than a staged photo with a child in her arms against a carpet. How to photograph babies with family? Let grandma sit on the floor. Let the granddaughter throw the granddaughter high, high (and not forget to catch it!), let the dad make a stupid grimace for his daughter! Feel free to take pictures of life, then, looking at these photos, you will get a lot of positive emotions.

water games

Babies love to swim. What a great way to play in the water! You must remember: the more emotions, the more interesting the pictures. Compact owners will be luckier in this case than those who have a DSLR, simply because a waterproof case for a compact costs nothing, but with reflex camera in this respect is more difficult.

Why do we need a cover? Not only to protect the camera from splashes - and where without them, this is the most beautiful (of course, after your child) - but also so that, when shooting a splashing fidget, you can lower the camera into the water. Top class is to capture the moment when half of the frame is in the water and the other half is on land. Although, there will be a lot of duplicates. If you are filming a child with someone else, just ask them to play while you walk around and click. It's in circles. Don't stand still for a second. So you can choose the most interesting angle. If there is no one to help you, you will have to take the hit yourself. Have your child spray you from head to toe. He will do it with great pleasure. And don't forget to douse it back. Never stop filming, of course!

First ever photo shoot

Everything we have talked about so far applies to fairly mature babies from a year old and up. But what about the crumbs? How to photograph children under one year old? How to photograph babies?

Don't be afraid to photograph them from day one. As we've said before, it's best to ditch the flash. Not even because a sharp, sudden light can scare a baby, but because the result will leave much to be desired. So try to use only natural light.

Babies up to two months sleep a lot, which we will take advantage of, remembering the masterpieces of Anna Geddes. It is important not to forget that each frame must be thought out. Few people will be interested in a child taken through the bars of a bed, but if you lay him on a green blanket and put a hat with caterpillar horns on his head, this is a completely different matter. Remember that everything depends on your imagination. Come up with interesting stories, sew or buy costumes and props and take advantage of the fact that your charm still does not know how to run away from you.

If the baby is not sleeping, he should be in good mood, namely, dry, full, sleepy and healthy. If things aren't going the way you want them to, put off the shoot for a couple of hours, or even a day. The mood of the model is the law.

What if it's dark?

We have already talked about what to do if you have to shoot in a poorly lit apartment. And if there is no way to increase the amount of light?

We'll have to turn to the camera itself for help. Do not zoom out or bring the camera too close to a child. It is better to capture the excess in the frame, then you can always crop it. Put your camera in shutter priority mode, if available. In some, it is marked with the letters Tv, in some - S. The child is a moving creature, so the shutter speed (that is, the time until the shutter is open) should be no longer than 1/30 second. And the more mobile the child, the shorter the shutter speed.

In addition, it would be better if you put the camera in continuous shooting mode and click in series. Already a couple of shots from the series will definitely be sharp.

As for the built-in flash, you can turn it on only if you want to take not a picture, but documentary evidence of your child's pranks. In this case, we are not talking about the artistry of photography. And one more thing: the lighter the baby's clothes, the better.

Poses for shooting

Who said that good photographer no templates? They are, just a lot of them. One example of a template is the poses for shooting. Those that are best suited for the first year of life. So, from the very beginning. how to photograph young children

Babies up to one and a half to two months: of course, lying down, but not from above, as we used to photograph, but from eye level. Or in the arms of mom or dad. You can remove the face of the baby, peeking out from behind his mother's shoulder, from behind. From two to five months: at this age, the baby already holds his head well and even tries to get up on all fours, and therefore put him on his tummy, and lie down in front of him and show him something interesting. The sitting position is just as good, only the child must have something in his hands, otherwise the fidget will not even let you focus. Six to nine months: The baby cheerfully crawls on all fours and even gets up on his feet. This is what we will photograph, not forgetting to lie down on the floor. Ten months and older: the baby stands confidently or runs, and we still take the knee-elbow position with the camera and try to catch up with the fleeing child.

As you have already noticed, almost always we lean as low as possible, so that the shooting point is no higher than the child, but there is an exception. If the child is sitting still and doing something, you can call him, so that he raises his head and looks at you, and take a picture from above. In this case, it is very important that there are no unnecessary objects around the baby. Only what fits the idea of the frame.

Details are important too

With what surprise in a year or two you will look at the old sandals of your beloved. How small he was! All this can be reflected in the photo, if you pay attention to the details. For example, take a picture of a tiny foot in daddy's palms. Or tender fingers grasping your finger or something else, the size of which you know well. More attention to detail - then you will have something to remember. And in general, such pictures look very touching.

Posing?

All children are different: someone can fiddle with a toy for hours, and it is not easy for someone to sit for even a minute. But this does not mean that the second case is hopeless for shooting. Quite the opposite! The livelier and more active the child, the richer his facial expressions, the more interesting the pictures will be. And in no case do not force the baby to pose for you. At best, you will get dead shots with a stony expression, and at worst, your little model's persistent aversion to photography. Play, have fun, have fun, and who knows, maybe photography will become not only your hobby, but also your kid's favorite pastime.

The author of the photos in this article is children's photographer Lyalya Garbuz. Take advantage unique opportunity study with Lyalya on the course "

Toddlers from 1 to 3 years old are restless, curious and still do not know how to pose. However, this, perhaps, is the main charm of such children's photos. Based on the unique course “Children's photography. Basics » Fotoshkola.net experts have prepared 7 simple recommendations especially for the readers of Mom and Baby magazine that will help you take wonderful shots with babies in the lead role. Let's get started!

1. Thoroughly prepare for a baby photo shoot.Here's a little checklist:

Charge the camera battery;
Make sure there is enough space on the memory cards;
Make sure all props are within walking distance of you.

Children at this age are impatient and restless, you just need to have time to catch the moment! Therefore, it is better if everything is ready.

2. Take pictures at the level of the baby's eyes. So you capture even momentary emotions and see the world the way a child sees it.

Photo: Anastasia Gureeva, student at Fotoshkola.net

3. Try to tell about the child, his hobbies within the framework of the frame. If he likes to draw, by all means take a picture of him with paints, "cook" - with kitchen utensils, play daddy's guitar - with a guitar.

4. There is a mathematical rule that applies to such a creative direction as photography - the rule of thirds. This is a very powerful compositional technique. In short and simplified: move the main subject from the center closer to the borders of the third frame, and the picture will become more interesting.

Of course, at this age, the child does not stand still, he is interested in exploring everything around, and catching him in the frame, taking into account all the rules, is not an easy task. However, you can press the shutter button of the camera, “catching” the baby in the center of the frame, and then simply crop the picture in any photo editor.

5. Get familiar with your camera settings beforehand. The child runs, jumps and plays, so the settings must be adjusted so that the frame does not turn out blurry. It's best to shoot a baby in Shutter Priority (Tv) mode, it's ideal for these types of scenes and will allow you to get more sharp shots:

6. Don't get discouraged if things don't go according to plan. Sometimes wonderful shots turn out to be taken where we did not expect. For example, the story of one photo: “We went to the farm to make a card with pumpkins, even put on a special sweater. But the child refused to pose on the pumpkins, but I managed to take a few shots with apples.” And after all, you see, a great shot:

At the age of one to three, children do not know how to pose, clearly fulfilling the wishes of the photographer. But this is a big plus! Emotions in the frame are "live", natural. Therefore, no instructions, only the game and the pleasure of the process.

7. Take lots of photos! The photo shoot that you arrange for your child will be a wonderful joint leisure - bright, memorable and exciting. And the more frames you take, the greater the chance of getting interesting photos.

Until new pictures!

In this article, we'll give you ten tips for capturing your little one in a variety of situations. Maybe you will recognize your previous mistakes and next time your photos will be more interesting. Shooting at the game What could be more beautiful than a child who is passionate about the game? But, here's the bad luck, in the pictures you get either the back, or the crown, or even the back of the fidget's head, and you can’t even make out what he is playing there. Familiar situation? Let's fix it.

Photographer at home It must be admitted that most often you have to take pictures at home. Did you know that these are almost the most difficult conditions for photographing children? It doesn't matter if you own an expensive DSLR or a simple compact, you will still face the same problems, which, by the way, can be solved. As a rule, home photos are taken with a flash. But in vain, because the light from the built-in flash completely kills the volume, texture of the skin, overexposes the forehead or nose, causes "red-eye", and simply makes the picture everyday and uninteresting. Try to give up this “useful” feature in the camera and you will see how much more interesting portraits of your baby will look.

In the bright sun

Sometimes it’s worth turning a familiar walk into an exciting photo session by taking a camera with you. A sunny day (evening or morning is better) is perfect for shooting. The only thing that should not be forgotten is the black shadows on the opposite side from the sun. We were taught from childhood that you can’t shoot against the sun. It is quite possible that this rule arose from the natural frugality of our ancestors: in 9 cases out of 10 people shot against the sun turned into a black silhouette ... the frame was rejected, but it was a pity for the film ... However, there was one more case when a surprisingly unusual photo came out. You can, for example, remember that your camera has a "harmful" flash. It will illuminate the face, and the gentle curls on the head of your baby will glow in the sun. By the way, a rare case when it is really needed!

Portrait with parents

Has it become too quiet on Odnoklassniki? Submit your new baby portrait! Flurry of fives and comments provided. And it would be nice if this portrait was successful. If you are thinking of a self-portrait, a mirror will be the best helper. Position yourself in front of him so that you can see how you are filming a child at play. The more natural the situation looks, the better. You can do without it by setting the camera on a 10-second timer and jump to the baby in time, but here you risk not only getting an unnatural plot, but also losing one of the models altogether. During this time, the child will have time to run to the kitchen itself. I recommend taking pictures of yourself with outstretched hands only if you have a good sense of humor, and you are not ashamed to show your friends two heavily distorted faces. The fact is that from such a close distance, both of you will fit into the frame only if the camera is at minimum zoom. In this zoom position, everything that is close to the camera becomes exaggeratedly large compared to what is further away. Do you want an example? Look at the samovar!

As for portraits with grandparents and other relatives, there is nothing worse than a staged photo with a child in her arms against a carpet. Let grandma sit on the floor. Let the granddaughter throw the granddaughter high, high (and not forget to catch it!), let the dad make a stupid grimace for his daughter! Feel free to take pictures of life, then, looking at these photos, you will get a lot of positive emotions.

Water games Babies love to swim. What a great way to play in the water! You must remember: the more emotions, the more interesting the pictures. Compact owners will be luckier in this case than those who have a DSLR, simply because a waterproof case for a compact costs nothing, but with a DSLR it is more difficult in this regard. Why do we need a cover? Not only to protect the camera from splashes - and where without them, this is the most beautiful (of course, after your child) - but also so that, when shooting a splashing fidget, you can lower the camera into the water. Top class is to capture the moment when half of the frame is in the water and the other half is on land. Although, there will be a lot of duplicates. If you are filming a child with someone else, just ask them to play while you walk around and click. It's in circles. Don't stand still for a second. So you can choose the most interesting angle. If there is no one to help you, you will have to take the hit yourself. Have your child spray you from head to toe. He will do it with great pleasure. And don't forget to douse it back. Never stop filming, of course!

The first photo shoot in my life Everything that we have talked about so far refers to fairly adult babies from a year old and older. But what about the crumbs? They grow so fast and change every day.

Don't be afraid to photograph them from day one.

As we've said before, it's best to ditch the flash. Not even because a sharp, sudden light can scare a baby, but because the result will leave much to be desired. Therefore, try to use only natural light. Babies up to two months sleep a lot, which we will take advantage of, remembering the masterpieces of Anna Geddes. It is important not to forget that each frame must be thought out. Few people will be interested in a child taken through the bars of a bed, but if you lay him on a green blanket and put a hat with caterpillar horns on his head, this is a completely different matter. Remember that everything depends on your imagination. Come up with interesting stories, sew or buy costumes and props and take advantage of the fact that your charm still does not know how to run away from you.

If the baby does not sleep, he should be in a good mood, namely, dry, full, well-rested and healthy. If things aren't going the way you want them to, put off the shoot for a couple of hours, or even a day. The mood of the model is the law. What if it's dark? We have already talked about what to do if you have to shoot in a poorly lit apartment. And if there is no way to increase the amount of light? We'll have to turn to the camera itself for help. Do not zoom out or bring the camera too close to a child. It is better to capture the excess in the frame, then you can always crop it. Put your camera in shutter priority mode, if available. In some, it is marked with the letters Tv, in some - S. The child is a moving creature, so the shutter speed (that is, the time until the shutter is open) should be no longer than 1/30 second. And the more mobile the child, the shorter the shutter speed.

The sensitivity should be quite high. 400, 800 or even higher. Yes, because of the high sensitivity, unpleasant artifacts in the form of noise appear in the picture, but this is better than smeared surrealism instead of a playing child. In addition, it would be better if you put the camera in continuous shooting mode and click in series. Already a couple of shots from the series will definitely be sharp.

Poses for shooting

Who said that a good photographer has no templates? They are, just a lot of them. One example of a template is the poses for shooting. Those that are best suited for the first year of life. So, from the very beginning. Babies up to one and a half to two months: of course, lying down, but not from above, as we used to photograph, but from eye level. Or in the arms of mom or dad. You can remove the face of the baby, peeking out from behind his mother's shoulder, from behind. From two to five months: at this age, the baby already holds his head well and even tries to get up on all fours, and therefore put him on his tummy, and lie down in front of him and show him something interesting. The sitting position is just as good, only the child must have something in his hands, otherwise the fidget will not even let you focus. Six to nine months: The baby cheerfully crawls on all fours and even gets up on his feet. This is what we will photograph, not forgetting to lie down on the floor. Ten months and older: the baby stands confidently or runs, and we still take the knee-elbow position with the camera and try to catch up with the fleeing child.

Details are also important With what surprise in a year or two you will look at the old sandals of your beloved. How small he was! All this can be reflected in the photo, if you pay attention to the details. For example, take a picture of a tiny foot in daddy's palms. Or tender fingers grasping your finger or something else, the size of which you know well. More attention to detail - then you will have something to remember. And in general, such pictures look very touching.

Posing? All children are different: someone can fiddle with a toy for hours, and it is not easy for someone to sit for even a minute. But this does not mean that the second case is hopeless for shooting. Quite the opposite! The livelier and more active the child, the richer his facial expressions, the more interesting the pictures will be. And in no case do not force the baby to pose for you. At best, you will get dead shots with a stony expression, and at worst, your little model's persistent aversion to photography. Play, have fun, have fun, and who knows, maybe photography will become not only your hobby, but also your kid's favorite pastime.