Stepping Into Their World

Shortly after I posting "When I Press The Shutter", I decided that since so many of you seemed interested in taking better photographs, I'd set to composing a few helpful articles. My intention is to lead you in the right direction while giving you plenty of room for your own creativity. Photography should be unique to your personality, but everyone basically uses similar techniques.

Initially, I wanted to only touch on a single aspect of photography in each post, but I have failed to separate two of my most treasured techniques as they work together so well. This first post will cover both: Move in close, and change your perspective.

Parents love taking photos of their kids. That is a fact. Everywhere I look, I see photo after photo of children. Children playing, children eating, children sleeping....etc. The question is....What makes a photograph more than just a snapshot? Why do some photos just look like someone pulled the camera up and pressed the shutter, and some look like you are almost there...as if you could reach out and touch the child?

I find that most people stand a good distance from their subject, lift the camera to their face and start snapping. In my opinion, these photos capture the scene, but fail to really capture the moment. I like to move in close, get down at their level, and step right into their world.

Here is an example:

This first photo is a typical shot I have seen. The child is sleeping on the couch...how sweet. So the parent stands there, and takes a quick snapshot.



As you can see.....there is hardly any focus on the subject here. There is so much in the photo. The couch, the child, the clutter....nothing truly stands out as the most important aspect of the photo, right? It is flat, and uninteresting.

The first thing you can do to make this a better photo is to simply move closer. It's up to you whether you want to move with your feet, or with your zoom, but just move in closer. Fill your frame with the subject of your desire. You don't want to capture the couch....you want the memory of your child sleeping. So move those feet, or press that zoom, and fill your frame.



Much better, yes? However, that darn pink pajama is distracting isn't it? Why would you leave it there? Do you want it competing for the viewers eye? Just remove it if possible.

If you want to take this photo a step further, you can simply get down at the level of the child. This brings the photo into the child's world. You are not looking down on her sleeping, you are right there with her while she sleeps. To achieve this, simply squat or kneel.



Do you see it? Can you see the difference in the three photos? If it isn't feeling very clear, just take some time to try it on your own. Take the photo the way you normally would. Then remember what I said, "Move closer, and get down at their level", and see if you get a different result.

Here is another example:

The first two photos here are the typical snapshot. Lots of clutter around the child, with little focus on her. The angle is slightly looking down on her.





Now....move closer.



Not bad. The focus of the photo is clearly the child who is painting, but it is still lacking some feeling....some emotion. Let's trying stepping into her world. Let's squat down and take the photo at her level, and see what happens.



There we go....see how we can see more of her face. It is almost like we are right there painting with her. Note that the background is a little fuzzy. This is ideal. It can't always be achieved with a point and shoot camera, but you can try. The best way to blur the background in a photo like this is to use your zoom instead of moving closer. If you zoom in on the child, the background will be out of focus making the child stand out more.

Now you may want to try moving around the child to find different perspectives. Taking photos from several different positions often tells the story more clearly.








What do you think? Are you seeing it? Are you recognizing anything that you might do to change how you photograph your child? Can you move closer? Can you get down at their level?

I know you can. I believe that these two simple steps can make a world of difference in your photos, just as it did mine. Try it. Let me know if you see any difference. I'd love to hear all about it. I'd love to see you photos.

If you have any questions or aspects of photography you'd like me to address in a future post, please let me know. I'd love to help you out. Photography is a process, and we are all somewhere along that line of process. I have so much more to learn, and I'd be happy to share my trials and successes with you.

*** oh and don't forget I'm on Top Momma!


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