Photography Tips for
Parents
by İDebbie
J. Evans 2000-2004
Are you
happy with the photographs that you take of your children? I'm talking
about the candid snapshots you take as they experience life: first steps,
that wide-eyed grin that charms everyone in sight, a birthday party,
playing with your pets. The annual portrait of your child is treasured,
but it's those everyday snapshots that really capture your memories.
Unfortunately, most photo albums are filled with pictures that are
out-of-focus, missed the shot, contain too much background (where is the
child?) The good news is that with a few simple tips, everyone can take
photographs that they'll be proud to share.
Your Camera &
Film
You don't have to invest in an
expensive, top-of-the-line camera to take great photographs, although you
don't want the cheapest one out there either. For the best results, look
for a 35mm point-and-shoot camera with a good zoom lens. Your best shots
will usually come with your zoom set to 70-100 mm.
There are a
couple of things to consider when you're selecting film. The first is your
film speed. Most film comes in 100, 200, 400, or the newer 800 speeds. The
smaller the number, the slower the film. That means the lens will stay
open longer and the risk of blur from "camera shake" or "active child" is
much greater. The higher the film speed, the faster the film and the
better it is at freezing action. The other primary difference among film
speeds is the amount of grain that you see in the negative. This isn't
even an issue for your album's 3 1/2 x 5 inch or 4 x 6 inch prints. But,
if you like to make enlargements from your photos (like I do), it's
something to consider.
Graininess is when the picture looks less
and less sharp, the larger it is blown up. The slower the film speed, the
finer the grain. So, the old standard was that you needed 100 ASA film for
really sharp enlargements. That's not really the case now though. Film
manufacturers are constantly improving their films and the higher speed
films have much finer grain than they used to. I've made very good
enlargements up to 11x14 from 400 speed film with little noticeable
grain.
800 speed film is extremely fast film is your choice for
capturing fast action (your child's basketball game) or for good shots in
extremely low light. It will have more noticeable grain when
enlarged.
RECOMMENDATION: For everyday photography, I
recommend 400 ASA. If you're the kind of photographer who keeps a
roll of film in the camera for months before it's used up and you'll shoot
a wide variety of shots on the roll, then this is definitely your best
choice. If you shoot a roll of film at a time, and all of the pictures are
from the same general conditions, you can choose between 400 and 200. If
you're shooting inside with flash, then always choose 400. If you're
shooting outside on a sunny day, then go with the 200. I don't recommend
100 ASA film for photographs of children. Children are a moving target and
you're likely to end up with a lot of blurry prints.
So, what about
film brands? I've used a variety and I haven't really noticed much of a
difference. Usually, if I see a difference among rolls, it's due to the
processing rather than the film. My personal preference for an inexpensive
film is Fuji Superia 400. It has great color! Of course, the king is
Kodak, but it is the most expensive. If you shoot one roll of film every
six months, then go ahead and splurge. If you're a regular shooter, then
you might save a little bit of money by using Fuji.
Which brings me
to film processing. Again, more expensive is not necessarily better. Most
one-hour labs give good quality prints (as long as you don't want anything
out of the norm). The tradeoff for the savings in time is the increase in
cost. Same as film, if you're only shooting the occasional roll, the
increase in cost is probably not even a consideration. You can save money
by sending your film out to be developed. It usually takes 2-3 days for a
return. Most of these shops send their film to the same national labs, so
there's isn't much justification for higher prices. Ask people you know
who they recommend in your area and try a couple of different places to
see which you prefer. If you shoot Kodak film, then look for a lab that
uses Kodak processing. If you shoot Fuji film, then choose a lab that uses
Fuji machines. It doesn't make a huge difference, but there is a
difference.
Composition
Composition is how you set up your picture. When you look
through your camera's viewfinder, you'll see some sort of guide lines on
the glass. You want to set up your shot inside those lines. Fill up the
frame. One of the biggest problems most casual photographers have is that
their photographs are 90% background and the subject matter is tiny!
Fill the frame. Get in close or, better yet, use your
zoom lens to get close. I guarantee that your best shots will be those
where your child is filling the frame. Either a head and shoulders shot,
or a full body shot that fills the frame. The only exception is when the
background is important to the picture. For example, you're taking a
picture of your child at Disneyland and you want people who see the
picture to know that your child was at Disneyland. Even then, take your
faraway shot, then zoom in to capture that priceless expression of wonder
or sheer excitement. Be careful about moving your camera in very close to
fill the frame. Most point-and-shoots have trouble focusing at very close
distances and when they do, they often distort the picture (people can end
up with very large noses and, otherwise, just not look like themselves.)
If you have a zoom, use your zoom to get in close for a more flattering
shot.
Most photographers take 100% of their photographs as a
horizontal shot. That's the natural way to hold your camera. However,
they're missing a lot of great shots. Many pictures would be better
composed as a vertical shot, especially pictures of people. Turn your
camera so that your built-in flash is on top. If you've set up a really
great shot, and you have time, take two shots-one horizontal and one
vertical.
Another good tip for setting up composition is to use
the Rule of Thirds. That means that you should imagine a grid over your
scene that divides your shot into horizontal thirds and vertical thirds.
Don't place your subject in the center of your shot. Your vertical-shot
subject should be in the top or bottom third. Your horizontal-shot subject
should be in the left or right third. Nothing should be in the direct
center of the shot. Remember, if you're using an auto-focus camera, you'll
want to place your subject in the center focus area, press the shutter
button halfway to set the focus lock, then (holding the button in that
halfway position) recompose your photograph.
Flash
Finally,
there's your best friend or worst enemy--the built-in electronic flash.
Leave your flash set on automatic 90% of the time. Here's why a flash can
be your worst enemy: dreaded red-eye. We've all gotten photographs back
that would be perfect, except for that devilish glow in your child's eyes.
Your best bet is to buy one of those nifty red-eye reduction pens from the
place you either buy your film or get your processing done. Here's why.
The red-eye is caused because your flash is too close to the lens. You
can't do anything about it. Some people recommend turning on as many
lights as possible because red-eye is worse the darker the room and the
brighter the flash, but even then, you won't get rid of red-eye. What
about those neat red-eye reduction features on newer cameras? Forget it.
They work by setting off a pre-flash that gets the red-eye effect, so that
when the shutter actually opens with the real flash, the red-eye has
passed. The problem is that 90% of the time, your subject will think that
the pre-flash is the actual picture and as soon as it goes off, they're
through posing and you've missed your shot.
One good feature that
newer point-and-shoot cameras have is a fill-flash feature. You'll want to
use this feature for outdoor shots on a sunny day. Yes, I'm recommending
that you use a flash in the sun! Here's why. Let's say you're taking a
photograph of your child playing by a tree. Your camera is going to set
the exposure for that sunny day, except that your child is sitting in the
shade where it's darker. The result is going to be a bright sunny
photograph with an extremely dark subject. Have you ever taken a picture
of someone wearing a hat in the sun? You'll get a great shot, except that
the person's face is so dark that you can barely see it. This is where
fill-flash is great. The flash will light your subject's face making a
much more flattering portrait.
I hope that you'll find these
photography tips useful. E-mail me with any comments
or suggestions that you have.
