Tips and tricks

[Dianna M]

Learn to use curves... you'll be amazed.

Also a quick way to improve eyes is to burn the pupils and dodge the colored iris. Use a very lower setting like 9. Use dodge to also highlight/improve your catch lights.

[hugy789]

A tip i've used quite alot is making people close their eyes, then you count to three and tell them to open them and light up their face, really works!

Another variation of this is to have them look away instead.

Both of these are to basically stop fake smiles

[Gonzo13]

While talking to children I always get down to their level and I don't do all the stuff that adults do. Bending at the waist and talking to kids is intimidating. I'll sit on the floor, play with their toys with them, and talk to them like I do adults I just change my words so that they can understand me. Generally this makes it so that children are more receptive to me. Oh and high fives work wonders especially if you make some kind of noise when you hit their hand. It can be as easy as "BAM."

~Gonzo13

[Whiskers Hampden]

I try to engage children by asking them questions....all kinds of questions...their favorite toy, favorite candy, favorite season, etc. Sometimes I get them to sing songs with me ("Old MacDonald" seems to always be a hit for some reason).

There are times when I do have to get the parents involved, especially with very young kids and infants. The problem I have run into is that the parent's first instinct is to stay just to the side of the lens and interact with the baby. I always have to redirect them to stand behind me, so that the child is looking in my direction instead of off to the side. I can't tell you how many times I have actually laid on the floor on my belly and had Mom or Dad standing or straddling over my back, cooing at the baby.

[hiccup42]

whiskers thats sounds like an interesting image in itself!

[Derek Bell]

[QUOTE=kencaleno;454947]-To smooth skin in portraits

thanks Ken, I owe you a beer!

Derek