Here’s part three of our series on children’s portrait photography. Keep reading – you’ll learn a lot about terminology, tools, and tricks for great kid’s photos.

Reflector

You can easily use a reflector to bounce light back onto your child for more balance kid’s portraits. Simply set the reflector up opposite the incoming light to eliminate shadow and give you more even overall light in your photos.

Shutter Priority

The setting on your camera that lets you set the shutter speed. A perfect setting for kid’s photography when you want to control movement, such as with sports photography or with kids who are moving around.

Telephoto Lens

Refers to any lens that makes your subject appear larger, typically anything 50mm or longer (depending on the camera). A telephoto lens helps to capture the subject from far away, which is great for kid’s photography when you’re aiming for candid photos.

Ultra-wide Angle Lens

Typically refers to lenses 24mm or wider. They let you capture the surroundings, and are typically used with landscape photography. However, you can easily use wide-angle lenses for vacation photography to include your kids in the photo.

Viewfinder

How your camera displays the “view” of your image. Different cameras have different viewing systems and may include information pertinent to your photos (such as settings, a grid outline, or histogram information).

White Balance

Refers to your camera’s ability to correct a color cast or tint – since different lighting conditions can cause different lighting conditions. Your camera will have different settings, from automatic to custom, to ensure that your camera accurately captures lighting conditions. Learn how to manage your white balance for better coloring in your photos.

Zoom Lens

Any lens that lets you adjust the focal length. These types of lenses can offer more flexibility than fixed-length lenses, which can make a great initial lens for newer kid’s photography enthusiasts.

That’s it! Make sure you check out Parts I and II for more information on taking great children’s portraits, and then grab your camera and get out there – the best way to get better at taking photos of your kids is to jump in with both feet.