I’ve always enjoyed photographing kids.  They are almost always lots of fun as photographic subjects.  As with other people shots, my favorite background is wherever they might be.

You usually need to give yourself lots of time when photographing kids.  Their first reaction is to mug for the camera.  My advice is to let them do it.  Go ahead and snap a few photos.  The sooner they get it out of their system and just get used to the camera being there, the more natural they will be.  If you’re really lucky, they’ll completely forget you’re there.

I like to be in their environment, so they’ll just forget about the camera and go about their “normal” routine.  Your main goal is to prevent any stress over the situation.  Keep the kid relaxed, and their faces will be delightful.  You can gain their trust and help them relax by relaxing yourself.  If you have a frown on your own face, they will not respond with carefree abandon.  Put the camera down and engage in their make-believe for a little while; tell them silly knock-knock jokes; let them ride around their yard.  Get down on their level for better photos, and so you don’t tower over them.  My goal is to make them absolutely comfortable, especially if this is the first time they’ve met me.

When you’re inside, take your flash off full power and put it on the lowest possible setting you can.  This allows the ambient light to fill in your background.  And get your flash off your camera, so you don’t get the “red eye.”  You can do this with sync cords, wireless triggers, or your camera’s own IR system; modern cameras have plenty of alternatives for you.

The newer cameras have much more latitude with high ISOs, allowing you to shoot images that, a few years ago, would have required you to have a flash but are now obtainable without one.  This guy was in the back of the barber shop, far away from the window.  I cranked up the ISO and fired away.

Babies are really fun because their expressions can change every second.  You should shoot plenty of photos to capture them all.  Babies like to see your face, especially your eyes.  This is hard to accomplish with a big camera glued to your face.  A good technique is to learn to shoot with your camera below your chin.  With practice, this will get easier for you.  And imagine how surprised and pleased his mother will be when she sees how quickly you connect with her little tyke.  If you can’t figure this out to your satisfaction, get a soft toy with big eyes and attach it to your camera, so the baby has something to interact with.

Bigger kids can be moody sometimes, but if you use similar techniques, you can reach them.  They can understand some of your posing requests, but don’t rush them into some weird position.  Give them the respect of their age.  Talk to them about things they care about.  Talk to them about school, friends, computer games, movies, music, etc.  Take the focus off the dreaded “annual photo for Mom and Dad.”  If you take the time to do this, you’ll see them relax and give you natural smiles.

Kids are my favorite people.  I enjoy spending time with them because they’re all so different.  They haven’t developed the attitudes of adults; they don’t worry about deadlines or bills.  With a good attitude and plenty of time, you can have lots of fun.  Kids don’t have to give you fits.  In fact, if they do, you may want to concentrate on landscapes.

Portrait from the Library of Congress

 As time and technology marched on, smaller cameras allowed photographers to move outside of the studio and photograph their subjects in a more natural environment.  Rangefinder and 35mm cameras  really accelerated this movement.  You can still find fixed studios, with their seamless background paper and perfect lighting set ups.   Lots of families still use them, and many photographers like the ease of studios for their portraits. They can even be the only practical solution: how else can a school photographer complete her task of depicting hundreds of young kids in a setting their parents will appreciate and still keep costs reasonable? Since I don’t have a similar task, I prefer to get away from this and put my subjects in a “real-world” setting.

This type of people photograph is fun for you and your subject because you catch them doing things they enjoy or in their familiar surroundings. They can be called “location photography,” “environmental portraits,” or many other titles photographers like to invent to make our work seem more unique.  Whatever you call it, this photography can seem more personal, providing insight to your subject; it can help tell a story; and lead to your photograph being the one they like to display.

Where you go is up to you – that’s what is so rewarding about this kind of people photography.  Make the photographs of them participating in their hobbies, games, or professions.  Develop your own locations with several different backgrounds to use when making outdoor portraits.  Go out and capture little slices of their world and what’s important to them.

You can still make portraits using this technique.  When I think of the word “portrait,” I think of a head and shoulder shot, where the person is the center of interest and takes up the majority of the frame.  You can certainly do that in any location.

While most of the photos I’ve shown are casual, you can still incorporate this type of photography in posed situations. You can photograph your subjects in the existing light or bring along flashes and reflectors if you want more control of the light.   I carry some of the multi-use reflectors in my truck, so they’re always ready.  (Don’t listen to my wife who thinks I’m just driving a cluttered vehicle.)

Your possibilities are endless. If you like taking photographs of people, this will keep you interested and having fun, thus making your photographs more compelling. Give it a try.

Street photography has a long and storied history.  Many photographers have made it their primary effort.  They captured little slices of everyday life, making great photos from seemingly mundane settings.

There are many great examples of street photography for you to discover, and I urge you to look at them.  Find the photographs that talk to you, and try to figure out what you like about them.  This is a great way to learn, and the price is right.  Many are presented in black and white.  Since, historically, you had to load film, you made that choice at the beginning of your photo session.  (And, of course, the farther back you go, that was your only choice.)

Today, we have the choice.  There are lots of reasons to stick with traditional black and white.  Colors can distract your viewer’s attention away from your subject.  Maybe you just want to make your images in the style of the old street photographers.  You can hit the topic cloud at the bottom of the current blogs to find black and white topics from our earlier entries.

I usually expand the definition beyond just images of people on a street since I don’t live in a crowded, urban area.  I make my “street” images wherever I happen to be.  It might be in Fairbanks, Alaska, with a street musician (they’re always happy to let you snap some shots).

Street performers are another group that will gladly cooperate with your efforts.  You don’t have to worry about asking them if you’re a shy person.  They are out there to be seen.

But there really is no reason to be shy.  I have rarely been refused when I asked for permission to take a quick photo.  I found the next photo in Alexandria, Virginia.  There we were, in one of the historical parts of our state, with a big flag on the building behind this New Age tea vendor.  How could you pass this one up?  As soon as he saw what I wanted, he happily posed for several shots.

Last weekend, I was up in Boston, walking downtown, and we stopped into the open air market.  The vendors completely ignored my camera.  They were trying to get a few more sales while the weather was nice.

For someone who likes making images of people, it’s just another fun way to practice your craft with spontaneity, shooting without all the reflectors and lights. You get to meet lots of new people and share interesting stories.  While we were out, we ran into Kevin McBride.

You don’t know Kevin?  Well, Kevin is an Irishman who currently resides in Boston.  He was a heavy weight boxer, and, in June 2005, he beat Mike Tyson in a 6th round TKO.  We met Kevin near Harvard Square.  He talked with us for a while and had no problems with me shooting some up-close shots, including this typical boxing pose.

So get out there and make some images of new acquaintances and people just enjoying themselves.  You’ll have fun, too.

Roger and I recommend that everyone shoot in Camera RAW mode all the time.  It just gives you so much more flexibility in post processing.  One of the few drawbacks I’ve heard is that when you download them into your computer, they don’t seem as vibrant as they appeared on the LCD on the camera.  Actually that is true.  In order to display the image on the screen, each camera has to process it first.  Your camera allows you to set your own preferences, usually in one of the set up menus.

When you export the pictures to your post processing software it sends the data exactly as you took it.  Lightroom gives you complete control over processing all the images, but the data is reset to a neutral starting point which probably will not look like the image you thought you captured.  Beginning in LR 2.5, Camera Calibration was a new feature in the Develop module.   LR3 is even more sophisticated and is now the first thing I adjust before I start making other global corrections.   The panel is located near the bottom of the right hand screens. I wish it was up at the top.  The system is very smart, and when you download photos, it knows what kind of camera you are using and loads the profiles for that specific camera.  It will naturally default to Adobe Standard, which is usually a pretty good starting point.  Here is an example taken in the seafood market. In my own eye, the claws were much more vibrant, so I applied the Camera Vivid mode, and the colors just pop.  Here is a side by side which makes it a bit easier to see.

When you are shooting people, you can select Camera Portrait. It helps make the skin tones much more neutral, i.e. a little less ruddy. When you have shot an entire batch you can make this part of your importing preset.  I prefer to just apply it and then synchronize the images, as I tend to shoot a wide variety of subjects.

If you shoot a lot of landscapes, that mode really enhances the greens and adds additional contrast. As with everything else in LR, you can go in and make as many changes as you feel like, either globally or with the adjustment brushes for localized effects.

The edits for every photo have to start somewhere—the Lightroom Camera Calibration panel just helps make it easier to begin.

Besides the wonderful training and seminars at Photoshop World, the exhibitor booths are my favorite things to visit.  They have all the newest gadgets you simply must have to make your photography better.    (Yes, that is a joke.)  The vendors run product-specific training for more in-depth coverage on that new widget or software you’ve been wanting to try.  Their “booth flies” are running around scanning your conference badge, so you won’t run out of spam for your email inbox.  There are giant display images, metal and canvas images, and thousands of books to overwhelm you.

This year, my favorite booth was sponsored by Westcott.  The folks at Westcott sell great lighting products and accessories for photographers who want to have more control over the light that illuminates their subjects, in or out of a studio.  Their representatives were very good salespeople, answering questions and providing demonstrations every day.  They were swamped because they set up four small sets and provided models.  Each day, the models’ themes changed, with new wardrobe and makeup, so you had a reason to stop by again and again.

Since I love doing people shots, and models are rarely free, Westcott reeled me in every day.  The sets were surrounded with photographers, two and three deep, shoulder to shoulder, jostling for position.  It was challenging because, when you set up lighting for a particular shot, you want to control how the light falls on the subject.  Your setup can be critical; minor movements by the model can change the look.  The poor models were completely surrounded and didn’t know which way to look or to which photographer to direct their attention.  They looked like they were surrounded by Paparazzi.

Why would anyone jump into this mess? Did I mention there were free models, and we were using great Westcott light products?  Really, there isn’t a good reason to do this, other than to have a good time doing something you enjoy.  The models did their best to accommodate as many photographers as possible and had a super attitude towards the chaos in front of them.  I enjoyed being able to move from set to set.  I even managed to get a couple of nice shots.

One day, they had some storybook characters, so I had to shoot Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel for the granddaughters.

This model went through a long make-up session for his war-painted look.  He was a big hit with the lady photographers; they had him going through lots of poses.  I tried to catch him in a more dignified pose than most of them requested.

I was in the right position to direct this model when she came out, so I didn’t have to jostle around to get the eyes looking right into the lens.

There were several other models, but you get the picture.  The sets and make up were opportunities for a little diversion in between the seminars.  Westcott sold many of their fine products.  Start saving your pennies now and join us next year for the fun of Photoshop World.