For some people, photography is as simple as taking their phone out of their pocket, snapping a quick picture, captioning it with the first thing that comes to mind, and throwing it straight onto social media. For others, photography is an immensely complex art form that requires dedicated tools and software knowledge to make sure the final image comes out just right. If you're trying to get a great photo of your child, you'll probably find yourself somewhere in the middle – you want something better than a quick snap, but trying to dedicate time to the project can seem wasteful when you're not able to capture the moment. Fortunately, that issue is quickly mitigated when you learn how to properly frame your photos, as simple decisions about your setting can immensely improve your photography without needing to put in large amounts of effort.
If Sunlight Is Good Enough For Plants, It's Good Enough For Your Photos
There is a special feeling to photos taken under strange lighting conditions. It might be a photo taken at night in the late 80s lit only by a cheap analogue camera's flash, or it might be a photo taken by a more modern setting lit by the neon lights in a tunnel.
When you're photographing a child, these lighting conditions aren't what you want. You want uniform lighting that either serves to highlight the right parts of your child and cast shadows over the rest, or simply illuminate them entirely evenly. A single halogenic bulb in the ceiling isn't going to do that, but the sun can. If you're shooting indoors, try placing your child near a window, where natural light is filtering in in spades. During outdoor shoots, you might need to consider using a reflector or diffuser, though if you don't have one, just try to consider how the light is affecting your child and try to position them accordingly.
Change Your Settings To Match Your Settings
In lowlight settings, your camera will want to try to capture as much light as possible, but if you use those settings in a well-lit scene, you'll end up with a final image that has been overexposed. Thankfully, fixing that issue is as simple as correcting the ISO settings, which you'll want to put down to about 100-400, and can be done on both a dedicated shooter and a smartphone camera.
Get The Professionals To Set The Scene
If you're looking for the best result possible, it's probably going to be something that you'll need professional help with. Thankfully, that's something that Fotek excels in, and our preschool photographers in Sydney can help you get an amazing photo of your child that you'll love. We have years of experience, which allows us not only to take fantastic pictures, but also deliver them to parents in a way that is easy to understand and appreciate. To speak with our team about how we can help you with all childcare photography, contact us here.