blocks on an angle to the camera. Then, when the child
is put into the scene, the shoulders are already turned.
This technique introduces a visually pleasing diagonal line
into the composition.
The Head-and-Shoulders Axis.Step two, which is
often a function of luck with children, is to turn the head
to a slightly different angle than the angle of the shoul-
ders, thus introducing a second dynamic line into the
composition. In traditional male portraiture, the head is
more often turned the same direction as the shoulders;
with women, the head is usually turned to an opposing
angle. The only reason this is mentioned is so that you are
aware of the difference.
You can often redirect the line of the child’s head by
having your assistant hold up something interesting
within eyesight of the child, then move it in the direction
that turns the child’s head slightly. By turning the shoul-
ders and face slightly away from the camera, you allow
the frontal planes of the face to be better defined with
light and shadow.
Arms and Hands.Regardless of how much of the
child is visible in the viewfinder (i.e., whether it is a head-
and-shoulders, three-quarter-, or full-length portrait), the
arms should not slump to the child’s sides. Often, giving
the child something to hold will encourage them to raise
their hands to more closely inspect the object. This cre-
ates a bend in the elbows and introduces more dynamic
lines to the composition. Not only are a child’s hands in-
teresting, but having them visible means that the elbows
are bent, thus providing a triangular base to the compo-
sition, which attracts the viewer’s eye upward, toward the
child’s face.Babies can sometimes just barely support their own weight. This image made by Kevin Jairaj, is a classic. The lighting is soft and deli-
cate—a mixture of soft shade and more powerful reflected light from a handheld reflector to camera left. The expression is priceless—
and, unlike adults, babies don’t mind having arms like the Michelin man. Image made with a Sony Cybershot at^1 / 400 second at f/2.4 at
ISO 100 and at the 48mm focal length setting.