David,
Your points are well taken. I also want to thank Aram for bringing this topic.
i always struggled while photographing children.
vipul
On Apr 5, 2018, at 10:02 AM, David Young <dsy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
G'Mornin' Aram!
Seems you had a tough time with Paisley. I know the feeling!
You wrote: " Not being much of a people photographer, I could use some help."
I'm not great at that, either, so I can offer only a few suggestions that
might help future efforts.
(1) I teach all my students to get down to their subject's level. With
Paisley, you've almost made it. In 7349 you're good, but in 7363, you're
more at forehead level.
(2) The trick is to focus on the eyes ... and if your subject has their face
at an angle to the camera, it is the near eye that's critical. In 7363,
again, you're good... but in 7349 the point of focus is on the far eye.
In response to her unwillingness to smile, what can we say? Perhaps, not a
Great Grand-daughter ... just a so-so Grand-daughter! ;-) So, with regard
to smiles....
(3) The Exif data is gone from your posted shots ... but I'm going to guess
they were taken with a 50mm or very short tele. My experience is that kids
nearly always lose their smiles when a camera is thrust into their face ...
so, next time, try a 135 to 200, and stand back more. My favourite for that
sort of thing is the 75/1.8, which, on a mFT body, gives me an effective
150/1.8, so excellent isolation of the subject, if wanted, and good "reach",
so I'm out of the subject's space.
(4) Give the kid something to play with ... a favourite toy, perhaps ...
something to occupy their attention while you shoot. This often works.
If the kids are a bit older than Paisley, a toy works wonders ...
http://www.furnfeather.ca/look/Photographer.html
even older still, give the kid a puppy...
http://www.furnfeather.ca/look/Ben.html
With someone as young as Paisley, a simple teething ring, a small plush toy,
or something similar, will often do the trick. Just something they can hold
and focus on. This will often bring back spontaneous smiles.
Of course, this brings us back to point one, in that you may need to be a
little below your subject's level, in order to have a clear view of their
eyes, as they will invariably look down to their lap, where they are most
likely to hold the item. With a kid in a chair, as would seem the case with
Paisley, you might have to block the chair, so it's up a couple of extra
feet, in order to get this angle, with a somewhat longer lens. (Sounds like
work - and it is - but it works.) Oh, and be prepared to act fast, if they
start to wave it around, or toss it!
Good Luck!
David.
--
David Young - Photographer
Logan Lake,BC, CANADA
Website: www.furnfeather.ca
Gallery: The Creative Co. Merritt, BC.
E-book: http://tinyurl.com/ABHoP
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