Taking a child’s photo can be a difficult, but very rewarding photography niche to get into for those want a lot of room to have fun and let their creativity run free, whilst still delivering a product to happy customers at the end of the day. A high-demand niche, taking children’s photos can also be very financially rewarding, with stock photos and royalty free photo websites paying a premium for well made photos or videos of children.
If you feel like your photography career could do with a bit of heart-warming content that can develop your portrait photography skills and could also result in a chance to make a decent income, then maybe its time to start considering specialising in children photos.
What Style Should I Be Shooting In?
A majority of photographers are more familiar with traditional-style posed shots, as opposed to candid shots. Posed photos are where the photographer makes the subject sit in a particular way, facing the camera, and will more often than not ask you to say “Cheese”. In this style of posed photograph, the subject is very aware that their photograph is being taken.
This style is useful because the photographer is completely in control of most aspects of the shot and may direct the subject to get the shot they want. In a lot of cases, this way of taking photographs works perfectly well, especially if it is for a styled shoot like glamour or fashion. A lot of people quite like this style of photography in weddings too, although a lot are now turning towards a more candid style of shooting, which is more common in children’s photos.
With candid photography, the photographer has much less control over the shoot and will have to move around a lot to capture a subject that may not even be aware that they are being photographed. The pay-off for candid photography however, is that you end up with much more natural moments and expressions – moments that you would never capture if you were going down the traditional, posed route.
If you’re given a chance to choose between these two styles, ask yourself the question; what are the best children’s photos that I’ve seen? Are they posed or are they immersed in play and captured in moments that are natural to them. The majority of the best children’s photos might look like mud kitchen chaos, Lego building, making dens, or having a quiet cuddle with Daddy before bedtime – they’re all candid captures of the moment.
How To Shoot Candid
Look For The Right Moments
The beauty of shooting children is capturing them as they are, and the best shots are often impromptu. Children differ from adults, as they lack an inner projection of themselves. When children are in front of the camera, they wont try and act in the way that they want to be perceived, and will instead just be their own genuine selves.
Capturing these genuine moments makes a huge difference when trying to improve your children’s photography skills. Instead of aiming for a certain shot, let the subject act however they please, and instead aim to capture every sweet little moment on that child’s face.
“Capturing these genuine moments makes a huge difference when trying to improve your children’s photography skills”
Embrace Your Inner Child
Children are constantly on the search for a moment of fun, and as a children’s photographer, you should aim to search for those moments of fun with them. This means engaging with the child, asking for and using their ideas – and talking to them, which can be more difficult than it sounds. The majority of new children’s photographers make the common mistake of try and failing to communicate with their subjects effectively. The rule of thumb when talking to children is to never talk at them or down to them. Talk about real things – don’t fall into the ‘so how is school?’ trap. Ask what they like to do, learn about them, and you’re guaranteed to have a good shoot!
Don’t Forget About Angles
While it might sound obvious, it is important to remember that you’re likely to be much taller than your subjects as a children’s photographer. When photographing adults you have to be very careful about how you pose them, and this is even more so with children, as shooting from your own eye level can create a shoot that is full of photos which distance the viewer from the subject.
With children you’re aiming to photograph a genuine expression or a warm moment, so you can get as low to the ground as possible to create an image that feels more connected with the child.
“Keep your photography safe from theft using WaterMarquee’s free watermarking services”
Watermark Your Work
As all professional photographers know, once a photo is online, it will be there forever. If you or your clients are not made eager by the idea of someone using your children’s photos for a commercial website, or other purposes, then its best to protect your work with a water mark. Luckily there, water marking your photos online has never been easier, with new sites offering the ability to watermark every single one of your images, with even needing you to upload them a photo-sharing website.
One advantage of photo watermarking is that it helps prevent potential thieves from stealing your pictures. Images without a watermark can easily be stolen by anyone who has an internet connection, but if your company name or logo is watermarked across your images, theft becomes impractical as it will be clear that they are misappropriating someone else’s hard work. As such, watermarking your photos will help protect you and your clients, giving them peace of mind that their photos are secure in the digital world.
So, if you want to keep your photography safe from theft, then consider using WaterMarquee’s free watermarking services, where you can create and upload your own custom watermark that will keep your work safe, and even double as an easily recognisable digital signature to really make your work pop. WaterMarquee even has a pro plan, that gives you unlimited access to all features and unlimited watermarking for all your photos for only $19.99.
So what are you waiting for? Protect your photography portfolio today with the great watermarking for free service from WaterMarquee!
