How to photograph kids who don’t like the camera.

20 Sep

I will be sharing a tip a week on how to photograph children who don’t like the camera.

Starting here: 20.09.21

Tip #1: Help them to get used to the camera

Even as adults we pretty much hate having a camera pointed at us, we tend to pull faces or poses that look better in our heads (in a mirror or as a selfie) than they do in front of a lense. So it’s not really surprising that children start acting up, or unnatural or backing away, hiding their faces when you point a camera at them. But if you get them used to the camera by trying to have your camera / phone on you regularly to capture all the random moments not just the special ones, they will get used to it being a normal thing to do and soon forget that it’s there. Giving you the perfect opportunities to grab those candid, natural shots that always look the best.

And when I say try to have your camera to hand most of the time, I don’t mean buy expensive gear and trek into the woods for a family walk with a full on tripod or £2k lense. Use only the bare minimum in terms of accessories when working with children. It doesn’t even have to be a camera either, a phone with a decent mega pixel cam will do.

Make it less scary for them.

*Put yourself in their shoes.

*Make it fun.

*Get down on their level.

*Talk to them.

*Make them laugh.

*Invest time in getting to know them (if not your children).

I shoot with a small compact Fuji film camera, with a discreet lense that isn’t scary for kids, on family shoots. And if they still seem intimidated or reluctant, I get down to their level and I share the photo that I’ve just taken with them, or the composition that I would like to take and talk to them about why. I engage in conversation with them at all times and start photographing them before the conversation ends. I try to make them feel at ease, with me and my equipment. Mess about, make a joke, make them giggle, offer them a bribe (yep, never be too proud for bribes.)

Tip #2: Get down to their level.

This simple tip will instantly improve the photos you take of your children. If you try and take the majority of photos of your child at their eye level. This could be bent down, or even lay on the floor.

If you’re photographing more than one child, you could try to make yourself the same height as the tallest child. Why not get creative with your compositions to exaggerate the size of your child by getting lower than their eye level and shooting upwards?

The most interesting images are often those that show the viewer something they haven’t seen before, that tell a real story, ideally from a new or surprising view or angle. Here I was crouched down low to the ground at his eye level, capturing his little face as he wondered what I was up to and then paused amongst the flowers to take a longer look!