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  • scissors
    August 16th, 2010adminGreat Tips

    In my work as a pro photographer I would guess that a good 70% of my images are of children. As a result I have discovered various methods of achieving the completely natural images that people love. There are many things to remember when trying to capture childrens images. There are some methods that work and some that dont, here are a few hints that I have learned along the way.

    Dont rush into things.

    Children can be very shy at first and it takes a real skill to get a childs trust in a short period of time. I have an advantage over studio photographers in that I regularly shoot out doors (about 95% of the time). This means I can often meet the children at there home or a place familiar to them which makes it easier for the child to be relaxed. Having arrived at the location I set about gaining the childs trust and breaking down the shy barriers. This is essential if I want to capture the completely natural images I have made my name on. I never take the camera equipment in to the house straight away. Ill leave it in the car until I feel the child is ready. This also helps the parents to settle down. Its important to realise each little one is an individual and as such there is no hard and fast rule of how to treat any of them.

    Timing

    Not only is your timing of each shot vital but also the time of the day. Children normally run on a routine that involves sleep, food, drink and play. If you schedule the shoot to take place in anything other than a childs natural play time you are asking for trouble.

    It should be fun for all involved.

    If you want to capture natural expressions of joy (and who wouldnt) then the only way to achieve this is to make it fun. Depending on the age group the way this can be achieved differs but the basic guideline is, you play by their rules. Find something that would entertain them. For example for 0-4 year olds can be easily distracted with a bubble machine. For over 4s perhaps a kite or remote control car something that is both colourful and enjoyable. What you are aiming to achieve is a happy child who soon forgets about the camera and really is having great fun.

    Dont force things

    As any parent will tell you trying to get a child to do something they dont want to do is as close to impossible as things get. You can guarantee tantrums and tears follow if a child is forced into doing something theyve decided they dont want too. The trick is to get them to want to do whatever it may be. Constant praise is all that should come from the photographer on how well they are doing. When Im photographing children and for whatever reason they decide that theyre not going to lie down / kneel or even stand I try once and then move on to something else. Ten or twenty minutes later Ill come back to the original pose and try it again, nine times out of ten this will succeed as the child has forgotten about not wanting to do whatever it was and we get the shot. As is mentioned before, youre playing by their rules.

    Be prepared

    You never know what each second holds when photographing children especially when youre outside. Many things can make fantastic photographs, throwing stones into a lake, patting a dog, throwing leaves all this and more. If you switch your camera off and put your lens cap on its a sure way to miss fantastic unscripted moments.

    I hope these points have made sense and will help you next time you take on the challenge of photographing children. I wish you fantastic luck.

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  • scissors
    December 9th, 2009adminGreat Tips

    Planning and preparing for a baby shower can be a big chore. There are many, many things that need to be done leading up to the big day, this article will provide some helpful advice for a particularly important part of the baby shower planning process… choosing a cake.

    For the party, you will think about what decorations to use on the place, what will be the program, what games to have, what baby shower favors to give, and, what to serve.

    During the baby shower party, the table centerpiece is most likely to be a baby shower cake. The baby shower cake cannot be similar to the cake that can just be bought from the local bakeshop.

    It is better if you or one of the guests baked the baby shower cake. Doing so will also assure you that the cake that will be served as a table centerpiece is in accordance with the theme that you have conceptualized.

    Of course, preordering the cake will also be fine as long as you give enough time for the cake to be prepared and that you have discussed with the person who will prepare the cake the concept of the baby shower party and how you would like the cake to look.

    However, if you have some baking skills, or if you can follow instructions from cookbooks well, it is advantageous to prepare the cake yourself. You can use your creativity for the design and you can always ask for help from friends. Needless to mention, it is also less costly.

    To prepare the baby shower cake, check online for tried and tested recipes and designs. You can also choose the flavor of the baby shower cake.

    Usually, the designs and shapes of baby shower cakes are nursery items. These are flowers, birds, butterflies, baby-shaped, toys and other kid stuff. The most common icing colors are yellow, pink, blue, green and white.

    In addition, if you have scheduled the baby shower after the baby was born, you can also ask for the babys picture and have professional cake decorators create and edible cake design using the babys picture.

    Another idea for the baby shower cake is to use diapers. Thats right diapers. Of course, this cake is not for the guests to enjoy. However, the mom will definitely appreciate it if there is already a stack of diapers prepared for the baby.

    To prepare a diaper cake, all you need to do is carefully stack rolled diapers into several levels (having three levels is suggested). You may use laces and ribbons to keep the diapers in place. However, make sure that you did not tie the diapers too tightly together to prevent them from being deformed. Deformed diapers will be useless and will just end up in the garbage bin.

    The diaper cake can also be placed as a table centerpiece. If you still prefer to have a real cake for the baby shower, you can bake or order a simple cake from the bakeshop.

    After preparing the table centerpiece, you need to combine it with good baby shower food. Most of the time, snacks, tea, desserts and punches are served. You can also have some barbecues and grilled foods, in case you have invited some male guests. The dads can bond and have some conversation while attending to the grills. This way, everyone can participate in welcoming the new member of the family.

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