Mama had a chance to slow him down for a minute or two. She did not intend to be in any of the images, but I hope to photograph her more the next time as she is a natural beauty.
You're experience with J sounds just like my experience with Max on Saturday evening! Man did I learn how much I have to learn! :-) We started at 6:30 and by 7:15 the light was completely gone. I spent way too much of my effort just trying to keep up with Max and made the mistake of having my camera set in AV (Aperture Priority) mode so after 5 minutes my shutter speed had decreased to 1/30 then 1/15 without my even noticing it! I ended up with an embarrassingly low number of keepers. I also now know that if I want to photograph kids I'm going to have to get a whole lot better at the whole baby talk thing...I didn't get any photos of Max actually smiling and I blame myself for that. I hope to post what I'm calling keepers on my blog today or tomorrow.
Here's what I learned: 1) in fast changing evening light shoot in manual mode only and check exposure every 2 or 3 minutes 2) bring some kind of silly props and do the whole baby talk thing or whatever it takes to get a smile from the average toddler 3) wear knee pads.
Did I miss any lessons I should have learned? Sounds like our shoots when very much the same (except hopefully you ended up with more keepers that me).
Yeah, I think we really need to be prepared to look ridiculous if we want to photograph kids! I am so NOT a manual shooter, I have so much to learn about that. Silly props are great...however the parents might laugh more than the kid. One thing I found really important with active little ones is to find a way to contain them --- on playground equipment, in a bucket, parents swinging them up between them, whatever you can think of. I have bought several children's chairs that I can't wait to use but also they can look really cute in adult chairs even out in a field. And having something for them to play with, like trucks or dolls or teddy bears may keep them still for short periods. Another thing that so far I haven't tried but intend to is BRIBES --- small bite of candy (NOT chocolate though) but OK it with the parents beforehand, or toward the end a very large sucker, that can make some cute shots. Good luck!
B&W is great for this shot. It simplifies it and makes the emotional aspect greater than color.
Mom's look is what this one is about. I have seen some very effective shots like this where the crop would show only the mother's eyes and mouth and also less background on the left side of the child. I think this crop may make the emotional impact even greater.
Very good work--and after reading your and Barry's comments, I do not expect many more photos from you two for a while--you will be spending all your time at the gym.
“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety” -Ansel Adams
When my only child went off to college in 2004, I started taking photography classes. First through Continuing Education, then 2 black and white film classes. After that I joined the Bay Area Photo Club and started learning about digital photography. Since the fall of 2009 I have been involved in animal advocacy and rescue and I also photograph homeless animals for 3 different groups. My husband of 33 years is my biggest supporter, in all ways, and I could not pursue this hobby without him.
Nice shots Cindi!
ReplyDeleteYou're experience with J sounds just like my experience with Max on Saturday evening! Man did I learn how much I have to learn! :-) We started at 6:30 and by 7:15 the light was completely gone. I spent way too much of my effort just trying to keep up with Max and made the mistake of having my camera set in AV (Aperture Priority) mode so after 5 minutes my shutter speed had decreased to 1/30 then 1/15 without my even noticing it! I ended up with an embarrassingly low number of keepers. I also now know that if I want to photograph kids I'm going to have to get a whole lot better at the whole baby talk thing...I didn't get any photos of Max actually smiling and I blame myself for that. I hope to post what I'm calling keepers on my blog today or tomorrow.
Here's what I learned: 1) in fast changing evening light shoot in manual mode only and check exposure every 2 or 3 minutes 2) bring some kind of silly props and do the whole baby talk thing or whatever it takes to get a smile from the average toddler 3) wear knee pads.
Did I miss any lessons I should have learned? Sounds like our shoots when very much the same (except hopefully you ended up with more keepers that me).
Cheers!
Barry
Yeah, I think we really need to be prepared to look ridiculous if we want to photograph kids! I am so NOT a manual shooter, I have so much to learn about that. Silly props are great...however the parents might laugh more than the kid. One thing I found really important with active little ones is to find a way to contain them --- on playground equipment, in a bucket, parents swinging them up between them, whatever you can think of. I have bought several children's chairs that I can't wait to use but also they can look really cute in adult chairs even out in a field. And having something for them to play with, like trucks or dolls or teddy bears may keep them still for short periods. Another thing that so far I haven't tried but intend to is BRIBES --- small bite of candy (NOT chocolate though) but OK it with the parents beforehand, or toward the end a very large sucker, that can make some cute shots. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteB&W is great for this shot. It simplifies it and makes the emotional aspect greater than color.
ReplyDeleteMom's look is what this one is about. I have seen some very effective shots like this where the crop would show only the mother's eyes and mouth and also less background on the left side of the child. I think this crop may make the emotional impact even greater.
Very good work--and after reading your and Barry's comments, I do not expect many more photos from you two for a while--you will be spending all your time at the gym.