Get down on their level

An obvious, but often forgotten photo tip is getting the camera level even with the height of your subject. I’m thinking of shooting children in particular. Most snapshots you see are shot down from an adults viewpoint, and as most children are height challenged, this creates a weird feel of superiority that most people aren’t looking for when shooting children. Take a second and get down on the level – it makes all the difference in the world.

As an added bonus photo tip – use a wide angle lens and get close. You see people shooting portraits of kids with “portrait” focal length lenses. While beautiful, they can easily get artificially serious and make children look like miniature adults. While this is fine depending on your taste, you might consider letting them look like what they are – kids! Use a wide angle, get in close and see if you like the difference.