Depending on where you live, school has or is about to start.

Why not start a tradition in your family of documenting the first day of school?  I know families who have taken a photo of their children all dressed up and ready for the first day of school standing in front of their front door each year from kindergarten to high school.  I know you don’t need another guilt trip.  You may have already missed the opportunity for a first-day photo this year.  But take one tomorrow!  They haven’t changed since the first day of school a few days ago.  Your kids may be in junior high school already.  It isn’t too late, although you may have to train them to accept this new tradition.  Deep down they want your attention and recognition that school is an important part of their lives.  If you’re homeschooling, documentation is even more important.  You don’t have school photographers hard selling their images twice a year.  So choose a date each year to photograph your children together and individually.

Nowadays we all have our pocket cameras with us at all times, a.k.a. cell phones.  I know it’s crazy hectic the morning of the first day of school, but just take a few seconds to stop and document.  Or ask a relative or friend to come over to get a quick photo.  I love the idea of taking a shot in front of the front door.  Remember last week’s tips about giving your front door a fresh coat of paint?  Now’s the time to show it off!  One advantage of using the same background each year is to see the growth of your kids.  This year his head is at handle height, next year he’s passed  that height.  But have the children stand a couple of feet in front of the door to minimize shadows if you have to use flash.  Natural light is best and our cell phones are good at getting decent exposures even in the shadows.

Be sure to take a group shot, too, so you can trace the growth comparison between siblings.  Shoot multiple times, especially of groups.  It’s hard to get everyone looking their best.  Please don’t tell them to say cheese!  No one loves that forced grimace.  Ask them a question as you snap or say something ridiculous to get natural expressions.

You don’t want bright splotches of light falling on parts of their faces.  Sometimes you may have to get them to turn their faces so the light is falling smoothly across their faces.  This doesn’t mean it’s bad to have shadows which actually add dimension to their features.  See the photo example.  Just avoid dots of bright light.

Perhaps you’d like some nostalgic images of the kids during the last days of summer.  Here are some tips for casual, but evocative portraits to make as another Summer slips away.

As the days shorten, we must be more intentional about positioning our subjects to make the most of the available light.  45 minutes before sunset is a lovely time of day to make warm, intimate portraits.  Make sure the sun is behind your subject if you’re shooting in the open.  If their faces are too dark, use a little fill flash on a camera, that way you can include the bright background and not underexpose the face. If you’re using a cell phone make sure the frame is mostly filled with the face so the exposure is read off the skin, not the bright sun.  Position the child to face open sky to get as much light as possible, but not facing the bright sun.  Avoid facing them into dark objects such as trees.  Take a few seconds to look carefully at the light falling on the face.  Make sure it’s gentle.

 

Now that they’re in good light, be patient and wait for a natural expression.  If they’re little, let them play with a toy, then get their attention for an instant and snap as they look up.  Make sure to get some portraits at their eye level instead of only standing above them.  Toss something for them to catch and throw back at you while you snap.  You could tell them to close their eyes while you slip a small item in their pocket.  Then let them open their eyes and try to guess what it is while you give hints and record their expression as they guess and find the object.

 

 

For older ones who are becoming self-conscious, the trick is to distract them from thinking about themselves.  Ask them questions, have them stand with their backs to you and look over their shoulder at you or jump 180 degrees to face you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Often times a hat works magic because it brings out the actor or the model in them.  Giving them something to hold takes care of the awkwardness of what to do with their hands.  Sitting also helps them feel more relaxed.

In the end, capturing one expression that is so ‘them’ is worth all the effort it took to get it. It will be a treasure for many years to come if you print it so you can enjoy it in a frame or book.