Parent Shooter Hits Brick Wall

[PaulVI]

I'm running out of ideas for compositions of my son (now 3 y/o).

Is it because:

A. my dSLR (Canon XSi, bought in March) doesn't do run-around live view? My PowerShot A630 which has typical P&S live view and vari-angle LCD, which allows me to shoot walking-running, high-low, over-under, any-angle-and-height-I-can-reach? (I reveal at this point that I'm a shorty. Good compositions from my dSLR are limited to eye-level and below, if there's nothing elevated to stand on. )

or

B. I've shot all my Great Compositions of an infant-through-toddler, and I've run out of venues. (The crib, the bed, the patio, the patio window, the park, the tennis court, ....) Time to take amazing vacations? Plus, as an older toddler/preschooler, he knows what I'm doing with the camera, and I'm becoming "paparazzo" to him, as in "no pictures please".


Help can be provided in the form of one or more of the following:
A. Specific composition ideas.
B. Kicks to the creative lobe of the brain.
C. Moral support. I'm kinda depressed here. DSLR kit plus extras, lots of shooting, ...no Great Frames.

A630 has been my equipment since about my son's birth; I added/upgraded to the XSi last month when I expressed to DPS friends that I wanted indoor, no-flash, plus action-capture. It's been "all that", and I read read read (manual! and webpages), and I bring it almost everywhere (for the money I spent, well, relative to my budget bracket and photog ability, I'll give it a birthday party.)

Thanks in advance,...


(Below, my masterpiece...? Son's age, 7 mos. Canon PowerShot A630, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, exposure bias 0 step, focal length 7mm, flash fired (auto, red-eye).)

[CiiVii]

This probably isn't the answer you want, but perhaps you could turn your creative eye towards something else for a while. That way the kid could take a breather from the paparazzo and you can expand your creativity by stepping out of your comfort zone. You might find that when it's time to have another session with your boy, you'll have fresh ideas.

He's adorable, BTW. I really like your masterpiece

[LeeR]

At the risk of possibly feeding a neurosis, I have a few suggestions. First, imagine you were going to put together a slide show of your son some day for his future bride. You would not want just baby pictures, you would also want background images of where and how he lived, his house, his friends, etc. Consider it setting the framework in which the drama of everday life takes place.

Then take a look at one of the most interesting bits of photography I have seen. It's called "The Arrow of Time" and is taken by a Brazilian man of the progrssion of his family over many years. It is bound to give you some ideas of your own.

Finally, I agree with CiiVii. Your camera is capapble of so much more than you are using it for. Over the years mine has been both a mistress and a couselor, often saving me from the brink of insanity as I created images that helped me deal with some dark and difficult trials. This can only happen if you are familiar enough with you camera to consider it an old friend rather than a beast to be tamed.

[PaulVI]

Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea.

In fact, I have felt guilty shooting landscapes (compositions, not much light manipulation at all), among the thousands of kid shots per month, because I justify the camera budget with the kid.

Thanks for the compliment on my child! His 'cuteness', which persists to this day , makes up for the whining, tantrums, and occasional defiance!

[PaulVI]

LeeR, also great ideas. I'll check out the link as well. Very promising, indeed!

[malkinlee]

I bet he loves pizza and would look even more adorable eating (wearing) it. There are different opps for different stages, food, toys etc. You could think up a dozen more. Maybe follow him around and see what he discovers and his reactions.
Case in point, my oldest daughter looked fantastic face down licking pickle juice of a table in a restaurant. I did not have the camera with me at the time. Someone a prospective groom would be proud to marry! Can you say "blackmail!"

[PaulVI]

I still shoot the "eating chocolate cake or ice cream" moments. That's the only food he "wears" these days. I'm motivated to shoot mainly by his pure joy! Compositionally, I feel stunted.

We're slated for a relocation soon, so I foresee some new venues in the near future. Until then, we've been to all the places that we've been to, so to speak.

Maybe I will take this time to learn how to shoot in tricky lighting situations.

Thanks for your input!

[Elite Shutterbug]

i am not sure if you will like this idea but i use it alot with my 2 year old son and i have come up with alot of satisfying pictures.

seeing as how youngsters are rather short/small i try to use a wide view (i use a 35mm prime) and find new and unique ways to show the childs size in relation to other everyday objects/structures.its kinda hard to fully explain but i like to leave it open ended so you can do what you want with it, i call it "Taking on the big big world" also ur a parent so try this one to...i took a picture with the sun/sunset at my back and shot a picture of my son with the shadow of myself positioned hovering over him/beside him(kinda like you may not see me but im always watching over you)

Also i agree with some of the other ppl here in that you need to learn the DSLR,try learning about every button or setting you find on/in the camera and when u wrap ur head around it you will be amazed to see what happens. i treat my camera like its an extension of my arm,(yes i use it that much =P ) and it makes a huge difference. i love what LeeR said above about how your camera should be an old friend, not a beast to be tamed.

anyway i hope that helps...i turned to silhouette and shadows when i get a composition block

[PaulVI]

Elite S., I like that "kid in the big world" idea. I'll try more of that. The few times I've tried, it turned out that he was too small in the frame, and actually not doing much besides running. Maybe some cropping would help my composition. Your "shadow in the shot" idea is great, too! (Made me smile!)

You mentioned the 35mm lens: I just received mine a week ago! I like it a lot. People always mention Canon's "nifty fifty" for a cheap, fast lens. I say, go for the 35mm f/2 (for Canons) first. The 50mm drove home the crop factor issue.

After this thread, I started trying out silhouettes, this time not by accident. Now, I wonder why I didn't try this with the A630, which, I believe, could do it.

Well, OK --- I feel my XSi expenditures starting to return the investment (in creative equity, at least).

Thanks DPS friends!

[TheEagleSpirit]

This is an awesome picture of "twins" lol. I would suggest not posing the boy and get shots of him and his surroundings with him doing his own things. I learned this from a professional that specializes in kid portraits as well as animals. Also noticed others feel the same way. I am not a professional by a long shot but one of the first things I did was make a slide show of many family photos which I had to scan of members of family that my friends children didn't have. Later I learned to make movies to be shown on tv or dvd players. Kids grow up way to fast to miss the many picture oportunites of a growing life along with their family members.