Photographing children

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Steven Church - 11 Oct 2003 17:45 GMT

I take individual photographs of children at sports events. A problem I
have is getting them to smile naturally. Sometimes I can not get them to
smile (especially the children ages 5 - 8). Does anyone have any
suggestions/tips ?

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Mxsmanic - 11 Oct 2003 18:46 GMT

> I take individual photographs of children at sports events. A problem I
> have is getting them to smile naturally. Sometimes I can not get them to
> smile (especially the children ages 5 - 8). Does anyone have any
> suggestions/tips ?

Why do they have to smile?

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J C - 12 Oct 2003 01:32 GMT

>> I take individual photographs of children at sports events. A problem I
>> have is getting them to smile naturally. Sometimes I can not get them to
>> smile (especially the children ages 5 - 8). Does anyone have any
>> suggestions/tips ?
>
>Why do they have to smile?

Probably because he's not considered the alternatives... which are
much better.

He probably also hasn't considered how people feel about strangers in
public places taking pictures of their kids. I've been on both sides
of this. It's pretty uncomfortable when it is your kid.

-- JC

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Mxsmanic - 12 Oct 2003 02:36 GMT

> He probably also hasn't considered how people feel about strangers in
> public places taking pictures of their kids. I've been on both sides
> of this. It's pretty uncomfortable when it is your kid.

Only if you have a dirty mind.

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Randall Ainsworth - 11 Oct 2003 19:14 GMT

Back in my studio days I always figured if people wanted pictures of
their kids smiling they could get that at Penny's for 49-cents. I
preferred to let kids be themselves and try to capture that.

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brougham3@yahoo.com - 12 Oct 2003 01:18 GMT

>I take individual photographs of children at sports events. A problem I
>have is getting them to smile naturally. Sometimes I can not get them to
>smile (especially the children ages 5 - 8). Does anyone have any
>suggestions/tips ?

Fall down while taking their pictures. My money is on most of them cracking
a smile. :)

I'll echo the other responses you've gotten. Why do you want them to smile?
Forced smiles aren't usually becoming.

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Mxsmanic - 12 Oct 2003 02:36 GMT

> Fall down while taking their pictures. My money is on most of them cracking
> a smile. :)

But won't the cracked lens degrade image quality?

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brougham5@yahoo.com - 12 Oct 2003 15:22 GMT

>But won't the cracked lens degrade image quality?

Nonsense. It just provides a different bokeh. :)

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Jack Germsheid - 14 Oct 2003 02:52 GMT

Try asking them about their girlfreind or boyfriend, Of course they
still hate the opposite sex but it will get them to loosen up.
Nonsensical questions can work too. Try asking them what they want Santa
to bring therm at Halloween or is Batman wearing any underwear under
those other shorts. An impish look is better than the deer in the
headlight look. Yeah they are only little leage trading card pics, but a
smile helps - that's what M&D want.
Jack

>I take individual photographs of children at sports events. A problem I
>have is getting them to smile naturally. Sometimes I can not get them to
>smile (especially the children ages 5 - 8). Does anyone have any
>suggestions/tips ?

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zeitgeist - 14 Oct 2003 04:38 GMT

> Try asking them about their girlfreind or boyfriend, Of course they
> still hate the opposite sex but it will get them to loosen up.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> smile helps - that's what M&D want.
> Jack

that works in the next age group up, the 8-12's, the OP was talking about
5-8

so, ah, you married? that crackes a ten year old up...

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Jack Germsheid - 14 Oct 2003 21:07 GMT

Yeah Z I'm married. My wife is ten years younger than me not a
ten-year-old ;). My kids are 4.5 and 20 MoI find todays' tots are very
sophiticated and I'm very immersed in this world. I do get lots of
practice doing prtrait work and candid PJ stuff. 35 mm 6x6 and some 4x5.
On occasioin people actually pay me money to do family and kids ports.
I'm a stay at home dad who also works nights running my own carpet
cleaning company. Mostly corporate clients here in Calgary AB. The
carpet money is soo good (I know that may be hard to beleive but nobody
wants to do this stuff and the market bares it) Anyway I need a day job
eventually so I'm working this photo thing trying to start a higher end
studio and market to the horsey set here. I lurk here and there trying
to learn stuff and occasinally post when I feel I have something to offer.
Thats's enough about me though. So I guess consider the source in the
future.
Jack

>
>
>that works in the next age group up, the 8-12's, the OP was talking about
>5-8
>
>so, ah, you married? that crackes a ten year old up...

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JustaPawn - 14 Oct 2003 16:02 GMT

I take a lot of pictures of kids at sporting events myself (mostly baseball and
soccer) I find the most successful pictures (and the ones the parents enjoy the
most) are the natural, at play ones. Kids seem to develop an unnatural approach
when they see the camera and instantly start mugging and posing. I try and
catch them unaware.

<< I take individual photographs of children at sports events. A problem I
have is getting them to smile naturally. Sometimes I can not get them to
smile (especially the children ages 5 - 8). Does anyone have any
suggestions/tips ?

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Jack Germsheid - 14 Oct 2003 20:54 GMT

I agree.I'm just looking at my four-year-olds pic from summer soccer
league. Every kid has cheesy unantuaral smile on their face in the group
shot and their individuals. The coach had asked me I wanted to do these
shots but I don't really want to do this end of the market. I think the
pics and the folder were five bucks or something ridiculous and of
course we bought ours. I did a bunch of action shots of my child and
others and gave the others away with my business card as a lot leader
for more formal portrait work.

>I find the most successful pictures (and the ones the parents enjoy the
>most) are the natural, at play ones. Kids seem to develop an unnatural approach
>when they see the camera and instantly start mugging and posing.

> I try and
>catch them unaware.

This of course would use a few more frames and time in a price concious
job but would yeild superior results.

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zeitgeist - 20 Oct 2003 03:04 GMT

> I agree.I'm just looking at my four-year-olds pic from summer soccer
> league. Every kid has cheesy unantuaral smile on their face in the group
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> This of course would use a few more frames and time in a price concious
> job but would yeild superior results.

yes, but, as a practical business matter, lets compare the efforts to
wedding photography, you spend several hours shooting, a lot of photogs just
hand the film over, or make proofs, and nowadays burn a CD for rates ranging
from a few hundred to a few thousand bucks. how does that compare to
going to the ball park and shooting kids playing. What are the shooters
getting for candids? a couple bucks for a 3x5 or 4x6? five? more? sounds
to me like a hundred bucks would be a good take for a couple days work
(shooting, getting the prints, selling them to the parents)

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Jack Germsheid - 21 Oct 2003 03:59 GMT

> sounds
>to me like a hundred bucks would be a good take for a couple days work
>(shooting, getting the prints, selling them to the parents)
>
>

Really? How about a couple hundred a day. At least for a full-time
business you'd need to make that kind of money. A part timer could
settle for less.

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McLeod - 21 Oct 2003 10:55 GMT

That's what he was saying, that anyone who opened that sort of business
would be working days for little money. He didn't mean he thought that
would be a good amount of money, but that about $100 bucks would be the
maximum the person could make for several days work.

> > sounds
> >to me like a hundred bucks would be a good take for a couple days work
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> business you'd need to make that kind of money. A part timer could
> settle for less.

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