We are on lockdown at the momenet but life still goes on. Like many other families, me and my family are spending more time together, pottering around the house, enjoying our garden and exploring local walks. We are so blessed to be living in the countryside with so many walking paths and wooded areas on our doorstep. I realise this is a privilage and that many people in cities including my own family are finding lockdown much harder and more challenging than we are.
Like many freelancers, my work has been drastically reduced but I am using this time to practice different aspects of photography and take my camera with me during my daily exercise. Sometimes I photograph landscapes, sometimes nature details but probably most often my 3 and half year old, who is still (most of the time) a complient model!
We have been doing lots of running around and jumping on our local field so I thought I’d share some tips on photographing children in action, in case you are feeling inspired to practice photography while spending (more) time with your children.
Whether it is my child or I am photographing my client’s children, I try to get the children to play a game they like, to jump their biggest jump, go on a trampoline or spin around. This really engages the child and sets a scene for some genuine, fun action photos.
Make sure you focus the camera on your subject, and if you own a dSLR consider setting your focus to AI Servo (Canon) or AF-C (Nikon). This focusing option is useful when tracking moving objects, and keeping the focus on the little ones when they are running around.
Another point I try to consider before I take an action shot is whether I would like to freeze or blur motion. Freezing action, like in the two photographs above is great for focusing on detail. Photographing on slow shutter speed can introduce a sense of motion and fun into an image. It is also a great option when you are photographing children in a busy environment; it puts the focus only on your subject and removes distracting objects in the background. I took the photo below at the very end of the photoshoot when I was experimenting and trying out new things. I nearly threw up from being so incredibly dizzy but I love the resulting image. It shows movement, excitement, fun and absolute joy that this girl was experiencing on this merry go round.
The photo below was also taken on slow shutter speed to show movement but this time I turned my objective as the kids were running towards me. It makes me feel like they are both running straight at me!
Finally, don’t be afraid to move around and experiment with different angles. Try photographing straight on, from the side, low down, from above. We are used to seeing things one way, so moving around and finding new angles to show a familiar view will make your photograph stand out.
In the image below, I photographed action from a low angle to emphasize the jump. During this particular practice session with my daughter, I tried photographing her jump from the front and from a side angle, both of which didn’t really work. It was only when I went down low inside the ditch which you can see in the bottom third of the photograph, that it all came together. I love her motion in this photo - it looks like she’s flying!
In the following photograph, I photographed from a high angle to capture the setting of where the action was taking place. This was a family photoshoot in Sussex and after spending a couple of hours outside in the garden, we went inside for a few infoor shots. I noticed the staircase and thought it would be nice to include it somehow in the picture. The girl I was photographing loved ballet and was really interested in showing me her dance moves. It really love like how the staircase acts as a leading line to lead the viewer to the girl dancing at the bottom of the staircase, and is one of my favourite action shots.
If you would like to find out more about my family photo sessions, please visit my Family Photography page. To see more photos of children in action, visit my Children Portraits page. If you would like to book a family photo session, or would like to enquire about my sessions, feel free to get in touch - I would love to hear from you!