IMPROVING KIDS PHOTOGRAPHY BY UNDERSTANDING YOUR CAMERA

No matter what hobby you undertake – a musical instrument, a new language, a sport – you can’t hope to get better at what you do. The same goes for kid’s photography, unless you understand the tools at hand and how to use them you won’t see any improvement in the portraits you take. So, we’re going to help you get better so you can take more great images of your kids.

Step One: Understand Camera Modes

You can never hope to get more out of your camera if you have to depend on the machine to make the decisions for you – if you’re in automatic mode this is just what you are doing. At the very least, learn how to use Aperture Priority mode, ideally, though you want to get used to using this, Shutter Value, and Manual Mode so you have options for different situations. Additionally, understand how ISO works and how you can use it to boost your camera’s ability to create memorable kid’s photos in low light conditions.

Step Two: Learn About White Balance

When colors and whites are off in a photo, it can throw off your resulting product of kid’s photography. While you can correct some issues in an editing program, it’s easier to learn how to set white balance on your camera, whether you use a programmed mode or set a custom white balance.

Step Three: Learn to Read a Histogram

It may sound intimidating, but the histogram provides a fantastic kid’s photography tool for deciding whether the exposure of your image is correct. Instead of finding out an image is over or under exposed after the fact, you can see immediately whether changes need to be made.

Step Four: Find out How to Bracket Photos

Exposure bracketing is a great tool when you’re just not sure whether you’re getting the right exposure, but don’t want to spend a great deal of time fiddling around with settings (i.e. when working in baby photography where you don’t have time to mess around). Using automatic exposure bracketing (AEB), your camera will automatically change the settings to give you a range of images, from darker to lighter – so when you’re in a rush you don’t have to second-guess your kid’s photography, just keep taking photos!

Once you understand these settings, you’ll be able to move on to using other aspects of your tool set to further improve your photography. For now, check out the associated blogs posts, read your owner’s manual and spend some time testing out your camera and the various settings while taking photos of your kids for practice. When you’re ready, come back for more tips!