My dearest friend Kendra called me this afternoon. She wants to take a picture of her son to use on their holiday cards but “he doesn’t stay still”.
I first met Kendra when we were little girls at dancing school, probably around 6 or 7 years old. I met Kendra again as freshmen in high school. We were in the same honors English class. On the second day of school, she brought a photo of our dancing school class in. She was excited to show me that we knew each other back then. I was so embarrassed of the picture of me as a chubby little girl in a tutu!
Kendra’s son Nate was born a day after my daughter. If only they weren’t 3000 miles away in New Jersey I would have just rushed over to take the holiday portraits for her.
So how do you get that great portrait of your toddler?
Don’t try to keep your little one still. Be prepared to chase. Put on your sneakers. Have your camera ready. Take a test shot of the scene first and then have your finger on the button.
Have someone in the portrait with him or her. Your toddler walking holding hands can make a sweet picture and slow them down a bit.
Put your spouse or friend on babysitting detail. You are the photographer and don’t want to be worrying about what goes in your toddler’s mouth or if he is too close to the street. Have someone along that can take all responsibility so you can just take the photos.
Get outside. Little ones loves to explore. If you are at a park, or even in the yard, there is more to distract your toddler from trying to grab the camera.
Get to know your camera. Whether you are shooting with a DSLR, a digicam, or even your cell phone, see what options you have. If you don’t have manual options, try shooting in sports mode. This typically uses a fast shutter speed, which helps with moving subjects.
Catch them busy. My daughter can get really caught up looking at something or playing with a certain toy. Take advantage of these times. Keep the camera handy and pick up up while your toddler is distracted.
Shoot lots. When I do family portraits, I take tons of images. Babies and toddlers move quickly and even with my professional camera I can’t always snap it before they are in motion. I sometimes photograph on rapid fire. I’d rather have excess of images than have missed a moment.
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