As a professional children’s photographer, I discuss a number of options with my clients to discover the ideal scene for the photoshoot. However, there are a few which stand out above the rest as ideal choices for good amateur  photography. I’ll share the top 3 with you here.

Outdoor park

Advantages

• Natural light. This means you don’t have to deal with a harsh artificial flash and can achieve a realistic image with natural daylight.

• An interesting environment for your child. The best photographs are when your child is simply being normal and natural. No poses and no direction – just letting them explore and enjoy the environment around them. Places such as parks offer this in abundance.

• It’s one location with many opportunities. A good outdoor park has many opportunities for different photographs. Your child can play on the grass, play with the flowers, feed the ducks and even enjoy an outdoor playground. It’s like a few different photoshoots in one!

Disadvantages

• Shadows and glare. On a sunny day, trees and other objects can cause shadows which spoil the look of a photo. Very noticeable shadows can also be caused by your child, depending on the direction of the sun and angle of the camera. Plus, watch out for sun glare into your camera.

• Other people! An outdoor park is for everyone, and a passing cyclist, walker or dog can spoil a shot. However, people in the distance may not hamper a shot and may add to the realism.

Your home

Advantages

• Natural environment. Kids feel most comfortable in their own home, and this allows them to express themselves more freely and naturally for a realistic shot.
• No outdoor weather conditions to deal with. Outdoor shots are great, but there are the elements to deal with.
• Wind, rain, heat, chills and more. In your own home, you can control the environment and have as much time as you need to take some great photographs.

Disadvantages

• Light. Artificial light and bright flashes can spoil that professional look and create unsightly shadows. Plan the use of light carefully and fill the room with as much bright natural light as possible. Also, if you must use a flash, watch out for the dreaded red-eye!
• Can be difficult to get that ‘pro’ look. The home is fantastic if you want some good old fashioned shots of your children playing at home. However, if you want that professional look, you need to be more creative. For example, the use of close-up shots at windows not only provides a good source of light, but also takes attention away from a busy room and focuses it solely on your child. This sort of planning and consideration is what any professional photographer would attempt to do.

Forest

Advantages

• Good source of light. It’s the great outdoors, so there’s light in abundance. Trees also create some unique light situations, such as sunlight breaking through the branches. This can add a touch of brilliance to your photographs.
• Great opportunities and a lot of fun! A forest provides great outdoor alternatives to a park. It’s rustic and earthy with those muddy wellies. There’s so much to see and do, and some of the scenery can be truly breathtaking. There are also many different environments rolled into one, such as deep forests, mysterious footpaths, fallen trees, ponds, lakes and everything you can think of.

Disadvantages

• Tiring stuff! Unless you’re lucky enough to live near a forest, it can be quite a trek, and this really
  makes it suitable for a full day out. Due to the various wild environments, this day out can be become
  tiring for everyone!
• Brave the elements. When it comes to the weather, sometimes you can’t win. If it’s too sunny, there’s a risk of getting too much sun. If it’s cold, you get the risk of being, well, too cold. Bring appropriate clothing and always bring plenty of drinks and snacks so everyone on the trip can enjoy themselves throughout the day. Also, make sure an appropriate camera case is brought with you, so you can protect it from mud, water and general knocks.

Hopefully, these three locations give you some good ideas on where to take your children if you want to have a great time and take some wonderful photographs to cherish forever.

Here are some of the pictures from a very relaxed session:

Anyway, we’re halfway through his first year so we still have another two sessions to go…watch this space. Here are some of my favourites:

The pictures show a family that laugh together, are comfortable together and don’t stand on ceremony – exactly what I experienced. Some of these are going to look great in the new house…enjoy!

Isaac,

This month you’ve proved yet again that you are definitely the cleverest, funniest, best looking little boy ever! Even allowing for my natural bias, I’m certain that you have more personality than any other kid ever in the history of time. I’m not sure a sense of humour is normally this developed in someone that still wears nappies…although your hilarious ‘wee on the floor when my nappy comes off before my bath’ routine loses some of its charm after a few repetitions.

Your talking is still developing really strongly. Whenever you’re in the back of the car we have lovely chats about ‘up’, and ‘dark’, and ‘woof woof’. Often you just sit in your seat and babble away to yourself. It’s not exactly Radio 4, but Mummy and I always have great big grins when we hear you chatting like that.

Unfortunately this letter is going to be very short. That’s because they get written a month in arrears, and December was…not a great month for letter writing, as you’ll see in the next letter. The result is that I am writing this in January, and frankly I can’t remember anything else about November. Sorry.

Love,
Daddy

BN If you can’t see the following slideshow in an RSS reader or Facebook, click here to view the blog post.

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I’d love to hear about other people’s experiences. What do you miss from your pre-parenting life? What have you gained that was unexpected? What would you advise prospective parents (apart from “Don’t do it. Back away from the Bugaboo. Don”t you understand you’ll never really relax again? Leave me here. Save yourself!” which isn’t really very constructive).

Here’s one to get things started. I can’t handle seeing a child in distress or pain on TV or in a film. The bit at the beginning of Madascar 2 where the baby lion gets kidnapped? Bawling my eyes out. Jenny and I had to stop watching a South African film called Tsotsi, which previously would have right up our strasse, because of the kidnapped baby being kept in a cardboard box and wrapped in newspapers instead of nappies. We literally couldn’t bear it. Almost every episode of Grey’s Anatomy is an emotional minefield.

Does anyone else recognise this, or is it just me?  Please leave some comments (directly on the blog post if you’re reading this in Facebook or via RSS) and let me know I’m not going mad…

The next day I found out that poor little Sophie (and her best friend Toby) had gastroenteritis. I hope you both feel better soon!

Here are a few of my favourites: