QuickStart Guide to Documenting Your Family: Task 1 - Observe.
For me most of the time children photography is not so much different from a wild life photography – you just sit in the ambush and admiring what you see and trying not to scare the magic away!
Taking pictures of a child without disturbing her is very important. First of all – you learn that photography is something that YOU do and it should not necessary affect other people. Second – your children and other family members will learn that photography is something that YOU do and it does not affect them in any way and you do not expect them to perform anything special. At the end it will result into much more relaxed atmosphere during the time when you take pictures.
If you have a baby – just use this (ambush-)strategy often enough and your child will grow up knowing that you are a parent with a camera and this is OK. If you have an older child and she already has a little bit negative attitude to pictures taking – it will take time to change it. But it will change!
Where to start?
This is very different for every child, but every child has these moments of being quite during the day. You should chose the time when your child is really concentrated on something: reading, drawing, building, watching cartoons etc. You should prepare yourself – usually you know the time when this will happen. You should have your camera or phone ready (and charged and with enough storage), you should go to a spot where your child is in the light (if you are at home you should ideally stand between the window and your child – but you can try different positions too – one at a time), you should bend yourself or get down to get at her level and take some pictures quickly (not standing there for 30 minutes).
You can also take pictures of your child being concentrated on some dynamic activity. If you do so please start taking this pictures outside. Taking pictures of a child jumping on the bed would require more knowledge about photography.
The only important thing is that your children do not notice, that you are taking pictures of them!
Repeat frequently! This was easy, right?
When you do this often enough you will:
- develop a very special attitude to photography, because you will only be concentrated on your subject without interacting with her. It will give you a brief moment of solitude, which is so important for a photographer (and for a parent!);
- have very natural unstaged pictures of your children;
- have pictures which show your child's real passions and how they develop and change throughout the time.
Taking pictures of a child without disturbing her is very important. First of all – you learn that photography is something that YOU do and it should not necessary affect other people. Second – your children and other family members will learn that photography is something that YOU do and it does not affect them in any way and you do not expect them to perform anything special. At the end it will result into much more relaxed atmosphere during the time when you take pictures.
If you have a baby – just use this (ambush-)strategy often enough and your child will grow up knowing that you are a parent with a camera and this is OK. If you have an older child and she already has a little bit negative attitude to pictures taking – it will take time to change it. But it will change!
Where to start?
This is very different for every child, but every child has these moments of being quite during the day. You should chose the time when your child is really concentrated on something: reading, drawing, building, watching cartoons etc. You should prepare yourself – usually you know the time when this will happen. You should have your camera or phone ready (and charged and with enough storage), you should go to a spot where your child is in the light (if you are at home you should ideally stand between the window and your child – but you can try different positions too – one at a time), you should bend yourself or get down to get at her level and take some pictures quickly (not standing there for 30 minutes).
You can also take pictures of your child being concentrated on some dynamic activity. If you do so please start taking this pictures outside. Taking pictures of a child jumping on the bed would require more knowledge about photography.
The only important thing is that your children do not notice, that you are taking pictures of them!
Repeat frequently! This was easy, right?
When you do this often enough you will:
- develop a very special attitude to photography, because you will only be concentrated on your subject without interacting with her. It will give you a brief moment of solitude, which is so important for a photographer (and for a parent!);
- have very natural unstaged pictures of your children;
- have pictures which show your child's real passions and how they develop and change throughout the time.
EXAMPLE: The pictures of my boys clearly show who is more into books and who is more into sports!
My first son and books
My second son and football
I hope this was helpful! The second part is coming soon!
P.S. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer! Just send me a reply to the e-mail with this task!
P.S. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer! Just send me a reply to the e-mail with this task!
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based in Geneva, working in Switzerland
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