Seeing Eye to Eye With Your Kids

No, I'm not talking about AGREEING with them - as a parent and a grandparent I can tell you right now that won't happen!

What I'm talking about is a tip to get better photographs of them - shooting from their Eye Level.

It doesn't matter if you have a $7,000.00 semi-professional camera or a 3 year old cellphone camera, a quick and easy way to instantly improve photos of your children is to shoot from THEIR eye level.

Imagine if you had your photo taken by someone over 8 feet tall. Doesn't your neck start to hurt already just thinking about staring up for the photo? Not only that, but your entire range of body expression has just been reduced to having your feet together and your head tilted up - BORING! (Not to mention kinda weird!)

Get down to your child's level! Even if it means you have to lay flat to do it! (I do it all the time during my sessions - lose your dignity, kids love it!) Suddenly your child is engaged and looking AT you! They become relaxed, and isn't that the whole idea?

Some of the most common portraits everyone enjoys are portraits of children in their early years, say from birth to teenager. So often, the challenge with these portraits is that they look like glorified school portraits (or maybe they ARE school portraits) that leave the child's, not to mention the family's personality at the door. Without emotional value, portraits are seldom worth their cost.

Why not spice it up? Try a Themed Portrait!

A Themed Portrait depicts your child's personality in a way that you and your family can immediately connect with. When a portrait of your child truly shows the child you know him or her to be, it becomes a joy to have it displayed in an area of your home that you will see and appreciate often.

I'm not going to try to kid you - a themed portrait is NOT something most home amateur photographers can pull off. A themed portrait is one of the hallmarks of a good professional portrait. It's what separates the men from the boys so to speak. If you are looking for a professional to do a portrait for your family, look for a 'story' in his portfolio. Do the images 'say' something even if they are simply composed, does the location make a statement, etc.

Good luck, and have fun!