The Psychology of Photographing Children
Monday, January 10th 2011 @ 12:49 PM (not yet rated)
The biggest challenge of photographing small children is to keep them still and happy long enough to get the image you want. These tips are from Vik Orenstein of Minneapolis and author of a book called Creative Techniques for Photographing Children:
Raisins Aren't Just For Breakfast Anymore
"The humble, wrinkled raisin serves a myriad of purposes. Pressed against a toddler's bare foot, it sticks there just long enough to slow her down so you can get a shot of an otherwise moving target. Tucked into a child's pocket, it gives her an interesting problem to solve (getting it out), and gives you a cute moment to capture when she produces the raisin and holds it aloft, victorious.
"To convince a reluctant child to stand where you want her, lay a path of raisins leading to the desired spot, ala Hansel and Gretel. To create a tender moment between a parent and child, place the raisin behind Mom's or Dad's ear and shoot when the child reaches for it. This also works for getting a toddler together with an older, more cooperative sibling--and the older child will think it's funny, too."
Guessing Games
"Ask the child to think of an animal and try to guess what it is. Guess wrong. Sigh, frustrated. Beg for hints. Ask silly questions. Does it have two heads? Eighty toes? Is it pink and purple? Can it fly to the moon? You'll get a range of expressions from smug, to thoughtful, to amused as the child savors your ineptitude.
Animal Imitations
"Really put your heart into it and get the kids to yap and honk along with you, animal imitations amuse kids from six months to 60 years.
Imaginary Playmates
"Sometimes I tell kids there's a dinosaur on their heads. Most of the time they're more than willing to play along, even though a two-year-old will know that I'm just joking. They'll chase dino off their heads, check for him in their pockets and see him in their siblings' ears.
Distraction
"Distraction is another useful tool. I'm sure you'll recognize this common scenario: Mom wants kid to wear hat. Kid hates hat. You have to distract the kid from the power struggle with Mom and make up a game. I'll whisper to the kid, 'Let's hide this tiny plastic chicken on your head under the hat, and Mom won't know what you're doing. Nine times out of 10 the kids eagerly agree, ecause wearing the hat becomes a way to pull one over on Mom, instead of bowing to her will.'"
So that's it for some of my favorite tips from Vik. If your like what you see, buy her book!
