We are shooting a children's holiday
Published: 08.11.2019
Children's holidays are very fun. They are full of color, energy, emotions, communication, and rich in activities. However, photographing children's events requires certain camera capabilities and solving some problems.
Taking pictures of children is not difficult, but as soon as you try to capture the birthday cake, sweets, family, friends, games, and gifts, your head will start spinning. You will have to be quick, instantly focus, and be able to take photos on the fly. In addition, you will want to enjoy the party and be in a few photos with the child.
How to capture all these exciting moments that happen in the chaos called a children's holiday? We will reveal some secrets to ensure that a special day for your child stays in memory.
Assign a photographer for the children's holiday
Ask a friend or family member to be the official photographer at the party and hand over your camera. You can also hire a professional photographer to capture the event. Either way, the event will be documented, you will enjoy the party, spend time with your child, and even be in the photos. However, be cautious. Ask your "official party photographer" before they arrive at the celebration if they are definitely going to take photos of the event or if there are any doubts.
Make a plan
If you are organizing a children's party, create a plan and share it with your photographer. Most of the party photos will be spontaneous and natural, but there are a few moments that should definitely be captured. These include group shots of guests, photos of the cake, candle blowing, opening of gifts, party games, etc.
Prepare a place where the child will blow out the candles and open gifts. If possible, plan the event for the morning or midday to make use of natural light in your home. If it is summer or the children's party is outdoors, your options increase. To save time on post-processing, clear the background for photos in advance - get rid of clutter.
Arrange an additional shooting of the children's holiday on another day
Before or after the actual event, plan a special birthday photo session with your child. If you take photos before the party, use one of these photos for the invitations. Capture individual moments, take a portrait of the birthday child in fancy clothes, or a family photo with the birthday boy or girl. This will take the pressure off you and your child during the celebration.
Create a Light album from cool photos. You don't need to print the photos separately. We will print your photos directly on the pages of the Light album. Upload images to the free editor Mapi7 and create a themed Light album. You can upload photos from your phone.
Pay attention to the details
Photograph the decorations and food before the guests arrive. Capture the cake, festive table, food, balloons, and other decorations, as well as gifts. If the lighting is dim in the room for the children's party, move the festive items to natural light for a few photos. Place the item and press the shutter. Then step back and photograph the entire space.
Of course, don't forget to capture the aftermath of the party, especially the destroyed birthday cake. These photos will help tell the story of your child's special day.
Important people
Be sure to take spontaneous and staged photos of people attending your child's birthday party. Take pictures of friends, parents, grandparents, take group shots and individual photos of each child at the party. These photos can be sent to relatives and guests as thank you cards. Of course, you need at least one "worthy shot" of the birthday child in their festive outfit. To achieve this, use a simple background or a wide aperture (f/2.8-f/4 for background blur) to ensure the focus is 100% on the child.
Natural photo
Spontaneous shots are the best thing you can do at a birthday party. Since most of the photos from a children's celebration will be candid, we suggest making them even cooler:
Get down to the child's level - lower yourself. The biggest mistake when photographing children is taking pictures from a standing position, looking down. You can take a couple of shots from above, but the rest of the photos should be taken at eye level with the subjects.
Get on your knees, sit down, or even lie on your stomach in front of the children so that you can catch a straight-on view.
Mix up shooting angles and focal lengths. When shooting spontaneously, be sure to take photos from different angles. Take several shots by standing on a chair to capture the whole group. Experiment with different focal lengths. A zoom lens would be suitable for a children's party.
Try using a wide-angle lens or a fisheye lens. A non-traditional approach will create a more playful and dynamic series of photos that will tell the story of your child's birthday.
Continuous shooting
One of the most effective ways to shoot a children's party is to use continuous shooting or burst mode. The camera takes a series of shots almost without delay, which is incredibly convenient when capturing active children.
In this mode, you will take a lot of photos, so make sure to bring a large memory card with you.
Favorite photos are a reason to create photo magnets. Round, square-shaped magnets, with shaped edges or magnetic puzzles are the perfect souvenir. They don't need a shelf or album. Refrigerators, computer cases, cars, and other surfaces that are always in sight are the perfect place for magnetic photos.
Recommended settings for shooting in manual mode
ISO. Birthdays are celebrated both outdoors and indoors. Therefore, your ISO settings should be different. If you are outdoors, the ISO should be within the range of 100-200, and for indoor shooting - in the range of 400-800. Do not set high parameters. The higher the ISO, the greater the likelihood of getting grainy photos.
Shutter speed. Children are very active, so use a shutter speed of at least 1/160 to maintain sharpness in the images. Using a slower shutter speed will disappoint with a blurring effect.
Avoid using flash if possible. If you need to use a flash, use diffusers to soften the harsh lighting.
With such simple tools, you will be able to capture all the memorable moments of a children's party. Remember, it's your child's birthday, so make sure to have fun! Be flexible and creative, and the photos from the party will turn out simply amazing.
