Candid shots of children are becoming more popular with parents in Singapore. In essence it’s an opportunity to capture moments of your kids’ childhood. To visually lock in those precious moments and reflect on many years later.
The concept of posed family portraits seem to have lost popularity due to the stiffness of the poses and the fact that these carefully orchestrated pics don’t bear much of a reflection on the every day lives of our children or their personalities.
Here are Tomato Photo’s Hart Tan’s top tips for candid photography for your next family outing. Get snapping Mum and Dad!
1. Take the Opportunity
This means that you need to grasp every opportunity as it presents itself. Carry your camera with you on each outing and be ready to shot at any moment. When your children are constantly exposed to the camera they will become familiar and comfortable with the idea of being photographed. If your kids are comfortable and at ease this will translate into your photos and you will have natural relaxed moments captured in film.
2. Zoom Zoom Zoom
To avoid being a distraction to your children as they spontaneously interact or play, simply step away. Make use of the zoom function on your camera. Allow them the space and autonomy to engage as you stand back and capture it all on film. Snapping away outside of your little ones personal space gives realness to your imagery.
What should you avoid when taking your kids’ candid shots? Click on next for more tips!
3. No Flashy Stuff
Children are easily distracted and a flash is the biggest brightest distraction. Try turning the flash off and using the mode settings on your camera. This might mean that you use a quicker lens or adjust your ISO or your light mode settings. Sometimes you will need to use a combination of settings to achieve the right outcome – so don’t be afraid to play around with your camera too!
4. Capture the moment as it happens
Photos are always more interesting in mood and composition if the people are actually doing something in the image. This allows the image to depict energy or a mood. Remember that timing is everything in candid photography so sit back and wait patiently for your children to be actively involved in a task which has meaning and interest to them. Shoot away quickly and capture each frame of the child’s involvement. Stand back and give your little one space and allow them to be unaware of your photography.
5. Angle it right
So many people think that to be a good photographer you need to take the camera up to your eye. This is not the case especially when shooting small children whose height will always be smaller than that of the photographer.
Take the camera down to your waist and meet them on eye level. Be prepared to move your body and use it as an extension of your camera. Kneel down, lay flat on the floor, crouch down, bend over – all of these actions help get you the most candid and engaged shots of your kids. Now use your camera to add to the perspective. Frame your shots on an a particular angle, zoom in close and then quickly zoom out to a wide angle, break the rules of composition and you will add a new perspective to your shots that can mean they look fresh, sharp and surprising.
Don’t forget to add foreground objects into your shot. This illustrates the area / space that your child is playing in – which only adds to your memories.