Focus help in children portraiture

[paulq]

Hi there,

I am just a rookie in this field and so far I have been practicing on landscapes and cityscapes. But now I plan to do more portrait work, specifically children lifestyle or semi-candid photos. With landscapes it is easy to focus since the subjects are immobile, but how do you focus with portrait, specifically children who are constantly moving and changing directions? I know you have to focus on the eyes all the time so what is a good way to achieve this? Is manual focus a good idea or will it be too slow to manually change the focus with every movement of the child? On the other hand, how about if I use autofocus? Shall I use one shot AF or AI servo mode? Will focus lock help then recompose help? Finally, I use a Canon XSi, shall I use the 9 point AF or just set the focus mode to the center point all the time? I apologize for these tons of questions but I really have little idea when it comes to portraiture. Thank you so much!

[praline3001]

I am new to photography but I am by far NOT new to kids
This is actually how I started getting interested in photography ~ I loved taking candid shots of my kids (and pets)

I can't give you any technical advice on speed or use of flash or AV BUT I can give you advice on how to get the best shots from kids!

Get the kids used to the camera... if you dont get them used to you just clicking away ... your going to get that posed cheesy grin little ones are famous for! Kids always look best when they are not *posed*

One of the best places to practice on kid portraits is the local playground. Thake the child down there and let them have fun! Click click away and you can get some amazing shots of the kid doing what it does naturally =) with these outdoor shots, you don't have to worry too much with ISO and lighting ...just watch where that sun is and your good!

The eyes are a good focus point but don't rule out other parts. Susan just posted a set of photos a few days ago of her daughter blowing dandielions ~ they were ADORABLE but the focus was on what her daughter was doing (blowing her little heart out)
I have seen several great shots of kids curled up reading a book as well. One of my favorite shots I have of my middle son is him sitting at our window on a stormy day playing is sax. No eye contact but his expression is just wonderful while he was consentrating on his music.

Relax and get silly with the kid. If you don't want formal school boring old photos ... you have to pull out the personality of the kid to make for great photos! Example ~ my daredevil son would be bored to tears (and it would show) if I made him sit in a field of pink flowers and looked dreamy ... my daughter would love this type of shot however.
My son's face always comes out with more expression when he is doing tricks on his bike, board or playing his music.

You can't get wrapped up on the technical side of photography when photographing kids LOL that's what post production is for
Grab that extra special expression ...even if something in the camera is *off* you can attempt to play with it later for some amazing effects. Its all about the expression when it comes to kids!

[brandy wilkinson]

I have found that if you give the kid a book, toy or put him/her into doing what they enjoy, then you'll have great portraits to capture. Kids need something to focus on. If you want them to pose by a rock or tree, then encourage their interest in it by getting them to look at the bark or feel the rock. Then step back and get some connective photos of them touching and looking at the tree or rock. They'll usually end up looking at you smiling about their discovery after that. You do have to be quick and ready when photography kids because they change quickly.

[wulf]

Is your lens good at manual focusing? On my D40, the kit lens (18-55mm) is great except for the manual focus ring. On the other hand, some of my old manual lenses, like my 50mm f/1.8, are a delight to focus manually.

If I were taking photos of children or animals, I would probably use one of those lenses with a fairly open aperture (allowing for blurring the background and faster shutter speeds) but keep far enough away to have a workable depth of field.

Another option, which I have sometimes used when shooting very shy subjects like birds, is using a longer focal length. This allows a close-up result but you can stand much further back. Children may not be prone to flying away (at least not literally!) but it might not break their concentration on what they are doing if you are across the other side of the room rather up close.

Wulf

[praline3001]

What a great idea wulf! I am going to have to try that!

The more you can make yourself disapear the better your kid shots (or at least more natural) they will be.

[paulq]

Originally Posted by praline3001

I am new to photography but I am by far NOT new to kids
This is actually how I started getting interested in photography ~ I loved taking candid shots of my kids (and pets)

I can't give you any technical advice on speed or use of flash or AV BUT I can give you advice on how to get the best shots from kids!

Get the kids used to the camera... if you dont get them used to you just clicking away ... your going to get that posed cheesy grin little ones are famous for! Kids always look best when they are not *posed*

One of the best places to practice on kid portraits is the local playground. Thake the child down there and let them have fun! Click click away and you can get some amazing shots of the kid doing what it does naturally =) with these outdoor shots, you don't have to worry too much with ISO and lighting ...just watch where that sun is and your good!

The eyes are a good focus point but don't rule out other parts. Susan just posted a set of photos a few days ago of her daughter blowing dandielions ~ they were ADORABLE but the focus was on what her daughter was doing (blowing her little heart out)
I have seen several great shots of kids curled up reading a book as well. One of my favorite shots I have of my middle son is him sitting at our window on a stormy day playing is sax. No eye contact but his expression is just wonderful while he was consentrating on his music.

Relax and get silly with the kid. If you don't want formal school boring old photos ... you have to pull out the personality of the kid to make for great photos! Example ~ my daredevil son would be bored to tears (and it would show) if I made him sit in a field of pink flowers and looked dreamy ... my daughter would love this type of shot however.
My son's face always comes out with more expression when he is doing tricks on his bike, board or playing his music.

You can't get wrapped up on the technical side of photography when photographing kids LOL that's what post production is for
Grab that extra special expression ...even if something in the camera is *off* you can attempt to play with it later for some amazing effects. Its all about the expression when it comes to kids!

Praline thank you so much for your wonderful advice and tips on photographing children. THat is the type of portraiture that I want, children in their own environment. I am not really a big fan of posed and studio shots. I prefer casual and lifestyle portraits. Going to the park and playground is definitely a good idea! I would definitely try that especially when I already have then lens that I want. Right now I only have a wide angle lens and my canon kit lens, I guess I have to do with the kit lens for the mean time. Your tips are amazing. I'm glad you got hooked into photography because of children, they are such wonderful subjects. Thanks again!

[paulq]

Originally Posted by brandy wilkinson

I have found that if you give the kid a book, toy or put him/her into doing what they enjoy, then you'll have great portraits to capture. Kids need something to focus on. If you want them to pose by a rock or tree, then encourage their interest in it by getting them to look at the bark or feel the rock. Then step back and get some connective photos of them touching and looking at the tree or rock. They'll usually end up looking at you smiling about their discovery after that. You do have to be quick and ready when photography kids because they change quickly.

Brandy thank you. I would just like to ask if you do portraiture at home, such as giving kids books to read, how do you set up the lighting? Do you just use natural light or do you use other lighting equipments and reflectors? Yes I really agree that you really have to be quick with your hands in photographing children. Their magic moment can only last for so long. Their natural expressions make me smile every time I look at kids' portrait and that is the reason why I want to learn how to photograph these moments. THank you!

[paulq]

Originally Posted by wulf

Is your lens good at manual focusing? On my D40, the kit lens (18-55mm) is great except for the manual focus ring. On the other hand, some of my old manual lenses, like my 50mm f/1.8, are a delight to focus manually.

If I were taking photos of children or animals, I would probably use one of those lenses with a fairly open aperture (allowing for blurring the background and faster shutter speeds) but keep far enough away to have a workable depth of field.

Another option, which I have sometimes used when shooting very shy subjects like birds, is using a longer focal length. This allows a close-up result but you can stand much further back. Children may not be prone to flying away (at least not literally!) but it might not break their concentration on what they are doing if you are across the other side of the room rather up close.

Wulf

Hi Wulf! As of now I only have the tokina 12-24mm and my canon kit lens. I only bought my camera last month and I thought I would concentrate on cityscapes that is why I first bought a wide angle lens. Since now I am so fond of children portraiture, I am planning to buy a tamron 28-75 f/2.8. I am hoping it is fast enough for this type of photography. I do not have a flash unit and I am planning to use natural light. I can purchase a reflector if that would make my photos better. I think the 28-75 is a good portrait lens aside from being a good general purpose lens (which I also need). I cannot afford the canon L lens 24-70. RIght now, I guess I just have to practice with my 18-55kit lens. But I don't think I can use it indoors. It is very slow. Thanks for your suggestions!

[praline3001]

Paul my Flckr account is the perfect example of what I am talking about...
Yesterday I took some *cute* photos of my daughter..she did her own make up and played fashion model. They came out OK and were cute but there was a motive behind all the silly stuff... I got her used to the camera and making fun expressions. We laughed and played and had a lot of fun AND THEN this morning (minus the make up and silly clothes) I got some out of this world shots of my daughter... really some of the best she has ever taken... this got her out of the posed cheesy smile look and they came out really good. I am not good at technical stuff and I am trying to learn BUT one thing is for sure ... I can get great expressions out of children LOL

The silly fun shots are in the album marked my angel girl on her birthday. The GOOD ones are under Savannah Smiles. Check them out and you can see why having a fun play time BEFORE the *real* photos can get some great shots.... now if only I knew what I was doing with the camera we would be good to go!