66 Practical PhotograPhy
S
un, sea, sand and an
overexcited child. that’sall
you need to capture a vibrant
portrait with oodles of
personality. Photographing
children or grandchildren
combines seaside fun with
capturing special memories.
Take your cues from the child
Without the inhibitions and reserve
instilled by adulthood, children are much
less likely to grin and bear something if
it’snotenjoyable– especiallyif theycan
hearthesoundof wavescrashingon the
shoreandtheyknowthatthere’smorefun
tobe had.Withthatin mind,youhaveto
makesurethatthisshootis themostfun
theycouldpossiblybe havingatthebeach.
there’sno one-size-fits-all approach here,
asit’lldependon the child.
if you’ re working with a shy, reserved
kid,taskthemwith quietly building a
sandcastle.ifyour subject is positively
buzzingwithenergy, follow them down
totheshoreand capture them splashing
amongthewaves– youmaywantto buy
a cheapplasticcoverforyourcamera
first!Keepinteractingwiththemby
pl ayinggames,or challengingthemto do
somethingspecific,suchas splashingin
the water.aimto finishshootingbefore
theygetbored,as thiswillmakethem
morereceptiveto beingphotographed
againata laterdate.
Setup yourcamera
Whenit comesto photographing
unpredictablesubjectssuchas children,
the fasteryoursettingsare,thebetter.
ifyou’recapturingmid-actionshotsof
a childrunningor playingin thewater,
adjustyourcamerato 1/1000secto
el iminateanymotionblur.setyour
camerato itsburstmode,as thiswill
al lowyouto capturemultiplephotos
withinsecondswhileyourfingeris
presseddownon theshutterbutton– the
amount of imagestakenandthespeed
thatthey’recapturedatwilldependon
yourcamera.you’llhavea betterchance
ofcapturinga winningshotthisway,
when yoursubjectis movingquickly.
if the childis satquietlyplayingin the
sand,thenyou’refreeto takea slower,
moreconsideredapproach.set your
shutterspeedto atleast1/250secto
preventanymotionblur.use a wide
apertureof aroundf/4to capturea
beautifulshallowdepth-of-field.this
willrenderyour backgroundout offocus,
whileyoursubjectwillbe crispandsharp.
Control thelighting
one of themostdifficultaspectsof
capturingportraitsatthebeachis that
yoursubjectis completelyexposedto the
sun.directsunlightcanresultin harsh
shadowsandsquintedeyes,butyoucan
overcomethis.Positionyoursubjectso
thatthesunlightis hittingthesideof
theirface.Positiona reflectorto bounce
backlightintotheshadowcreatedby the
si de-lighting.somereflectorscomewith
a middlesectionmadeof transparent
fa bric.thiscanbe placedbetweenyour
li ghtsourceandsubjectto diffusethe
li ghtandsoftentheshadows.
Shoot fun-filled
portraitS of
excited children
project #4
