Windows 8 Essential Training will be free to lynda.com Facebook fans now through November 23rd 2012   :   http://on.fb.me/QNDlQi

Author David Rivers discusses the migration path from older versions of Windows to Windows 8, tours the new interface, reviews the new file and folder behaviors, and introduces the most useful apps, including Calendar, Photos, and Music. Check out the course and let us know what you think:    http://on.fb.me/QNDlQi

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1. Be patient
Children are usually active and not always willing to listen to instruction, so they are the boss during the photo shoot. Talk to them, build the connection with them during that short period, so they are comfortable with your presence. Watch them and be prepared with your camera for the good moments. Photos will usually come out more natural and will show the children as children in their own world.

2. Shoot them playing with their toys
Children are usually very attached to their toys, especially their favorite ones. Shoot them while they are playing with them and look for those moments that show the connection between them and their toys. If you want to, you can exclude their faces and focus on their hands while playing with the toys.

3. Watch the Foreground and Background – Simple is always beautiful.
Unless there is a special purpose, avoid shooting in environments with unwanted cluttered foreground and background if you can. Note that the keyword here is “unwanted”. So if you want a toy or part of a toy to be in the picture to add more stories to the image, by all means do it. Pay more attention to have clean background. Avoid having something vertical behind them that will look like as if it’s getting out from their head. Your main subject of attention is the children, hence removing those unwanted objects helps to emphasize your subject of attention. If you are outside at the playground in the park and you want to photograph the children playing, you can do few things to get a better picture:

• Move closer to them to isolate them from the busy surroundings and include part of the playground setup to still give a sense that they are playing at the playground. You don’t have to include the entire setup of the playground.
• Choose an angle where the background that is just behind them is clean or cleaner. Again, avoid vertical bar or pole behind the child’s head.
• Zoom in or use a longer lens to isolate the child from the surroundings

4. Color does matter
If you know the place you are going to, plan better by choosing a good combination of colors between the children’s clothes and the background/surroundings. Avoid wearing the same/similar color with the surroundings, as it will make the children less prominent in the photo.

5. Focus on the eye(s)
When shooting portrait, the eye(s) should be in focus. When you are shooting at an angle to the face, focus on the eye nearer to the camera. Hence, select your focus point upfront and be prepared to move it quickly as the child moves.

6. Look for expression, emotion and relationship
Capturing the children’s expression, emotion and their relationship with the parents or friends will help make a better photo and tell a story. So look for those funny faces, giggles, laughter and even cries.

7. Check your Lighting – look for or create quality light

Natural light gives a soft focus look to the skin. Use window light if possible .  A standard lens of 50mm is ideal for this kind of image. Explore AV (Aperture Priority) mode, select a high ISO and a wide aperture. Let the camera choose the correct shutter speed. Alternatively, use an external flash (with a diffuser) to shape your subject & create the mood & feel.

7. Understand your camera
Read the manual and learn how to use your camera optimally. Practice often to play with the setting, switches, buttons, etc, so it becomes second nature and you can operate it fast when you need to change the setting to adapt to certain situation.

8. Have fun and take LOTS of pictures
After reading all the above, I am going to tell you that rules are created to be broken. So, don’t be too stressful about following the guidelines. It may deter you from liking the process of photography. Just take LOTS and LOTS of pictures. As you review them one by one on your computer monitor, you will learn what works and what does not. Be brutal to yourself when you are learning. View the photo at 100% on your computer monitor to be able to see if it is sharp or the focus point is where it should be. Review the composition and play around by cropping the photo and see which one works best. As you learn more and practice more, you will notice that you will tend to CREATE the image in the camera right in the first place. It will become second nature as you progress. Photography is fun, so have fun. If you need to break the rule in order to create an image that you think will have great impact, by all means, do it.

Life is calling… ENJOY and SHOOT till you DROP !

The post Tips – Photographing Children appeared first on ePixels.

Converting an image to black and white is pretty simple, but if you want truly impressive results it pays to think about how and what you shoot, and learn how to use your editing software’s powerful tools to get the most from your shots.

LEARN to see in black and white…

When it comes to black-and-white imagery, being able to ‘see’ how your final shot will look is a key skill. It’s important to understand how the colour image you see through your camera’s viewfinder will translate into a monochrome image. To get the best results, you have to look beyond the colours, and instead try to visualise how a shot’s shapes, textures and tones will be recorded.

The success of your black-and-white shots relies on several different factors, but the main thing to look out for is a main subject that will appear in a significantly different shade of grey to the background. Then look out for subtleties of tone and texture that will add depth to your images.

It’s tempting to think that white balance doesn’t matter if you’re going to remove the colour, 
but because the success of any conversion relies on successfully translating colours into attractive tones, it’s important to capture an image without any colour casts.

Recognising potential shots when out in the field can take practice, so why not try converting some of your existing images to black and white to get a better feel for what will work.

For more information, check out : http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

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