comely..

by heide
(nueva ecija)

It was actually a stolen picture. This was taken inside my room.

The model is my cousin, who was just two years old. It took me some time, before I got him in here. He's actually playing that time and when I guess he felt tired that's when I got this picture . . .


Taking photos of toddlers is always a challenge. They never seem to sit still for more than a few seconds. I wish I had their energy!

This of course poses a problem for photographers, because as soon as your camera has focussed, whoa! They’re off again. You press the shutter button on your camera, and it takes a photo of where the child was, not where they are now. Arrgh! It can drive you nuts!

Heide has gone some way to solving this problem by taking the photo when her cousin was tired – less likely to get up and wander around.

There’s also a nice wistful pose from her cousin.

However . . . there is the problem of focussing. This is a badly out of focus shot, and there is nothing that can be done using software to correct this.

When taking photos of people it is always good to get their eyes in focus, as it’s this part of the photo that we are naturally drawn to. It also makes the viewer really connect with the subject.

Ways of achieving this with children are difficult. But as suggestions:

• If they are about 3-4 years old - get them to pose. Children of this age often love posing. While they are doing so, keep snapping away, and zoom in on their faces as you do so.
  
• If they are younger than about 2 years old - get them involved in a favourite activity. While their attention is diverted focus your camera; then call their name, or make an unusual sound (whistle, clap, wheee!). They will most likely look to the sound (i.e. you!) and then press the shutter!