How to get great photos when children are not cooperating !

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to deliver stunning photos to your clients and the children do not want to cooperate.  There are allot of little tricks and tips to do when photographing families. The kids do not always want to look your way or even acknowledge you are there sometimes. This makes for an extremely hard job.

I like to take the time to try and get the kids interested in something else. In these photos we were outdoors so it didn't take much to find something the boys were interested in. 

Snapping a few shots while they are just playing and doing whatever they like is great. This makes for wonderful natural photos. 

This was a great article with allot of great tips.

http://digital-photography-school.com/7-tips-for-photographing-kids/
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/a-father-who-creatively

In Mommy's Shoes ! A fun photo shoot idea in mommy's wedding gown.

I thought it would be fun to do something different and unique for children's photos.  I titled this session in mommy's shoes.  Have your clients child dress in her mothers wedding gown and all of her accessories.  I recreated a mini bride from the wedding day.  This is so much fun. I had the mom bring her wedding gown, jewelry, shoes and anything else that she had from her wedding.  We were able to incorporate all of these items into the photos shoot this way. Also have the mother bring any photos of herself she may have. It is fun to use the daughter to recreate those same photos.  Having allot of accessories was great because it gave us a chance to do a variety of different poses and photos.


We did the child models hair in the studio.  We photographed two different looks for her. We did a few photos with her hair down and a few photos with her hair in a cute up do.  The mother brought several accessories and we played around with those during the shoot also.


We did a few shots of the daughter wearing the mother shoes which obvious were to big but looked really cute for photos. We did a few with a veil that that the mother wore for her wedding day.  The dress was way to big in the top so we took a few safety pins and pinned the top back tight so it wouldn't gap open for photos.   The child model also had long hair so it was nice that is covered allot of the top that was to big.


For makeup we thought a little bit more dramatic makeup would be great.  We did a heavier eye makeup with eyeliner and mascara to make her eyes pop.  For the lips we did a medium pink shade that photographed lovely. 


This had to have been one of the most fun shoots we have done.  The daughter had so much fun dressing up in her mom wedding gown for photos. I think every little girl loves to dress up and wear a fancy gown and play with makeup.  The final images were perfect.  www.amandabuckleyimaging.com
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How to get a good children's studio photo.

Anyone who has ever tried to snap a photo of a young child would know that it is extremely hard. Many children between the age of 1 and 4 are just simply all over the place. They will not sit in one spot for more than 5 seconds. This can make taking photos of children very challenging. One trick that I like to use is to switch up the props frequently. Children have a very limited attention span.  So constantly changing props around will help to keep their attention. I also try to have lots of toys on hand this will keep them engaged in looking your way for more than just a few seconds. Suggesting I parents to bring children after they have had a nap,

or at their happiest time of day is also a big help. Keeping patient and trying very hard will always result in a beautiful photo. 

How to take a pretty bridge photo.

A landscape can be one of the hardest things to photograph. I would suggest picking the best time of day for your photos. Pick a time of day when your bridge is light perfectly. This way your bridge will stand out in a photo. I like to also shoot in camera settings with a higher appeture number. Higher number will allow you to have a more in focus photo. I prefer having a bridge photo that is more in focus with a background slightly in focus. To much background blurr for a landscape is just not something I prefer.  Think of a different viewing perspective.  Get up higher than normal or lower than normal this will make for a more visually interesting photo. Posting the same straight on view that every spectator can post on their phone just isn't the best option. The photo below was taken at sunset at point park in Parkersburg, WV. I am always chasing a beautiful sky.  Www.amandabuckleyimaging.com 

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What to wear for your High School Senior Photo session.

What should I wear for my high school photos session?   This is a pressing question on the minds of many high school seniors before their photo shoot. I think it is important to work with your photographer to design and plan background and outfits that will work with each location.  Planning several months in advance is key. Do not wait until a day before your photos to decide on your wardrobe.  I always have graduating seniors text or Facebook message me their clothing choices.
Proper planning ahead of time will ensure a wonderful photo.  www.amandabuckleyimaging.comwww.facebook.com/amandabuckleyimagin