Kids are amazing. You can feel their tenderness when you’re close, and you can see the independence of their spirit, even at a distance. Try creating a scene around your child, or rather, plop the child right into an unusual or beautiful scene. Don’t be afraid to step back and show the landscape – your child’s figure silhouetted against a special backdrop will forever conjure memories of when she was that small. Continue reading “Baby Photo Tip #6”
There certainly plenty of good reasons to use the flash on your camera – to ensure you have enough light, to make sure the light is pointed at the front of your subject, to stop motion, etc. However, I recommend experimenting with having the flash turned off. The coolest thing about shooting sans-flash is that you get to see exactly the way the scene looks with existing light – which means you can be deliberate about your composition.
Many a trick of the trade were developed in quite a surprising way – by mistake! Don’t try too hard to “get it right” because taking risks and being uncomfortable are the very things that will help you learn. Edit slowly at first, taking time and going through all the photos you’ve shot, and try to notice what captured moments create a sensation of some kind – good or bad. Take note of any photos you too quickly try to discard because of an imperfection; within them may lie the seed of something special. Continue reading “Baby Photo Tip #4”
Put on some music! Try creating a little portrait session in your living room with some music on, and notice how the music creates a flow for both you and your little subject. I recommend the Beatles or a live jazz recording from the 1960s or classical music – something you will enjoy more than the latest Elmo song – because it’s as important for you to find a rhythm with the camera as it is to amuse the baby. Allow the flow of the music to inspire you, and follow the instincts that surface about the moments you feel inclined to press the shutter. Over time, you may find you can achieve this rhythm outside with the birds chirping, or with no music at all. Continue reading “Baby Photo Tip #3”
Ever notice how trying to get your child to make a certain face through encouragement often leads only to a loss of energy on your part, and not very successful photos? I recommend taking the pressure off completely, so that by the time the child is four or five, she still acts natural in front of the camera, instead of taking on the habit of needing to force a particular face. Yes, this means you sometimes get serenity, seriousness, or even frowns, but it teaches your child that she can be herself while the camera is out, and no special facial contortions are required. Continue reading “Baby Photo Tip #2”
I’m starting a new feature on the blog, offering photo tips especially for moms who want to take better photos of their kids – inspired by the free photo teleseminar for moms I’m giving. (If you’re interested, click here to sign up!)
The trick is to get low – you want to be on the very same level as the child, as you would if you were sitting down to have a dinner conversation with an adult. This might mean putting the child on a couch or a bed, or it might mean you have to lie or sit or crouch on the floor. Yes, you’ll feel a bit ridiculous at first, but once you see that you have achieved the exact right angle to capture your baby’s most expressive faces, you’ll start to feel less silly on your elbows and knees. Continue reading “Baby Photo Tips – Tip #1”
Complimentary Teleseminar to Introduce “Photo Workshops for Moms,” this Thursday, April 8, 2010, at 12.30 p.m. EST.
Photographing their kids is a fantastic way for moms to explore and nurture their own creative side while spending high-quality time with their kids. Moms are empowered as memory-makers these days, with all kinds of new tools for recording family moments. As a kids’ photographer, Sarah Sloboda has learned the rhythms, flow, and composition skills to let a child’s story speak through the images she captures of them. She is now teaming up with moms across the U.S. to help them learn the skills they need to use the family camera to truly tell the family story. Continue reading “Photo Workshops for Moms”
For me, photography centers around fleetingness. I know that time inevitably passes. I remember experiencing that revelation when I was just a child. Having the vivid memory of what I call my “5-year-old existentialist crisis,” when I realized my memory was finite, gives me a lot of respect for the minds and spirits of children. Continue reading “The Insight of Children”
The rush of news that has to go out. The challenge of finding the words, and capturing images that tell the real essence of the story. The time-constraints. The politics. The pressure.
Heck, I don’t mind pressure. In fact, I love it! I’ve been known to break down in tears after a pressure-filled week ends because I don’t know how to fill my time! I spent several years exploring the anti-dote to this love of pressure, assuming it was an ailment to be exorcised. I studied shamanism and other ancient cultures, to see what they had to say about the way to be in the world. I practiced yoga and meditation. I learned to calm what appeared to be external chaos, by tapping into my ability to control my own mind. Continue reading “Back in the Day, I’d Have Been a Newspaper Gal”
