Jason Huskey

Getting close

Have your child take a picture of their little brother or sister, or even you without any instructions. Their first reaction might be to get the subject’s whole body in the picture.  Many times there is clutter in the background that takes away from the subject. There might be toys on the floor or distracting lines or textures on the walls. If you are outside you might notice a tree or sign post that seems to sprout from the subjects head.  

Review your child’s first picture.  Then have your child walk in closer or even use the zoom button to make the subject’s head and shoulders the only things in the picture. This will help to eliminate distracting backgrounds.
Eyes show a lot of emotion. To add a bit of mystery to your photo you can go even closer and make their eyes the only thing in the frame. Perfect focus is hard to get when shooting this close.  We’ll talk about focus next.

Focus is important

Focus is always an important technical issue, but when you are getting in close you have to pay even more attention. If your subject is a person, make sure their eyes are in focus. When we are looking at a picture of a person we are automatically drawn to their eyes. Even animals do this. If you have a dog or cat you might notice that your pet will look directly into your eyes. I’ve always wondered how animals know to do this.

Ask your child to identify which picture above is out of focus.

For this lesson your camera should be set to autofocus. Most cameras will focus on the object in the middle of the frame.  Your camera may even show a little box on the screen that indicates where it will be focusing.  To focus you will need to hold the shutter button halfway down. Watch as your subject becomes clear.

Most lenses will only focus when you are 1 or 2 feet away. If your camera is not focusing, move back slowly until it does. To find out how close your camera or lens can focus you can do three things.

1. Find the minimum focus distance in the owner’s manual if you have it.
2. Look at the lens itself. Some lenses will have the minimum focus distance written on them somewhere.
3. Find a toy or other non-moving object and position your lens one inch away from it. Slowly pull back while trying to focus on the object. Make a note of the distance where the camera actually focuses.

When taking pictures of very small things like flowers and insects it may be almost impossible to get close enough. Macro mode is the solution. If your camera has a macro mode try using it to take a picture of a
quarter. This will allow you to focus at shorter distances.

Get rid of distracting backgrounds

Have you ever seen a picture of someone who seemed to have a tree or light pole growing out of their head? When taking pictures it is easy to only think about your subject. You also need to notice the background.  One step to the left or right will easily get rid of the tree problem. You must also be on the lookout for cluttered or distracting backgrounds. If the background is cluttered just move in closer to your subject.

If you are taking pictures of someone and they do not seem comfortable with you being so close, step back a little bit.  Always use courtesy when photographing people.

Make the eyes pop!

Take a look at this monkey. Where do your eyes come to rest in this photo?  Most likely you end up staring into his eyes. Have you ever seen a picture from a professional photographer where the eyes just seem to glow?  To get results like this you must know where the light is coming from. In this picture you can tell the light is coming from the top right by finding the reflection in the monkey’s eyes.

Here’s a handy tip to find the light. Carry a marble in your camera bag.  When you arrive at your shooting location put the marble in your hand just like an eye socket. Then slowly turn your body around while watching the marble.  Stop when you see the reflection of light in the marble.  Remember this angle. If you shoot from this angle your subject will have beautiful catch lights in their eyes.

Review

1. Get close to your subject – Fill the frame
2. Remember to focus on the most important part of the picture
3. Pay attention to the background

Photo Assignment #2

Take a close-up picture of a person, a pet, or a toy.

Click the link above for a printable photo assignment worksheet.

 

Share Your Thoughts:  What photo techniques do your kids want to learn next?

Taking pictures is so much fun. Part of that fun is using these incredibly complex little boxes we call cameras. But taking pictures should not just be about the gear you have. After saying that, there are a few things you should teach your child about cameras:

Types of cameras

There are four basic types of cameras on the market today:

1. Compact digital camera – Many compact cameras do not allow the user to make decisions about their photos. These cameras will use an onboard computer to determine the best settings for a scene.
2. Phone camera – Cameras in phones used to be very basic but

   

   they  have come a long way. Most of the settings are determined automatically but you can download apps that will give you more control.

3. Super zoom camera – This type of camera is the middle link between

   

   a compact camera and a DSLR. The photographer usually can take full creative control. It will have automatic settings but you can override them with your own settings. The built-in lens will go from wide angle to superzoom.

4. DSLR camera – This stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. When looking

   

   through the viewfinder you can see exactly what will be in the picture. DSLR’s give the highest quality images but are also the most expensive. You will have full control of all settings and you can also change lenses.

I love shooting with my DSLR because it is so fast and the quality is much higher. But you don’t need an expensive camera to get started. Many of the world’s most famous pictures have been taken with cameras of low quality. The creative decisions are always up to the photographer.

Parts of a camera

Here are a few parts your child should know:

• Lens – Allows light to enter the front of your camera.
  This light will eventually be recorded as a picture.
• Shutter button – The button you press to take the picture
• LCD Screen – The screen on the back of the camera used for viewing your pictures.
• Optical viewfinder – The small hole you look through to compose your picture.

Photo modes

Your camera may have a mode dial like the one shown to the left. A beginning photographer needs to explore their creativity without worrying about camera settings.

For now just use the “Auto” or the“Program” mode. This will tell the camera to make the exposure decisions for you. Just allow your child to concentrate on being creative.

File types

A digital picture can be saved in different file types. The most popular type is the JPEG. A JPEG is a great combination of high quality and small file size. Beginners should use the highest quality JPEG
setting on their camera. If the file size is set too low, your pictures will look fuzzy.

PNG files are similar to JPEGs. TIFF and RAW files are lossless formats. This means there is no loss in quality from the original image. TIFF and RAW files will take up 10 times more space than JPEGs and PNGs.

Turn off the camera’s built in flash

The built in flash on your camera will usually make your pictures look terrible. You will see:

• dark shadows behind your subject

  

• flattened facial features

  

• red eye
• a strange mix of light color.

In addition to all the problems above, on-camera flash also blinds and annoys people. There are better ways to do flash and we will talk about that in later lessons. Look for a lightning bolt icon on your camera to turn off the flash.

Note: Your camera may not allow you to turn off flash in AUTO mode. If this is the case switch to Program mode (P on the mode dial).

Lock your focus

Most cameras focus when you press the shutter button halfway down. Practice this with your child by having them look at the LCD screen while focusing on different objects.

Your camera is probably set to focus on the middle square shown in your viewfinder. To focus on a person that is not in the middle you should:

1. Point the middle square at your subject
2. Focus by holding the shutter button halfway down
3. Move the camera back to where you want it while still holding the shutter button halfway down.
4. Take the picture

Review

1. Learn the basic parts of a camera
2. Set your mode dial to Program(P) or AUTO
3. Turn off your flash
4. Lock your focus

Photo Assignment:

Take a picture of a toy or other non-living object

Click the above link for a printable photo assignment page!

 

Share Your Thoughts:  What photo techniques do your kids want to learn next?

Here is a fun activity to try with your kids. Have them shoot a theme. Pick one topic to take pictures of for the whole day or even the whole week. This will help your child to see the world in a different way. You may be surprised to see how your little photographer interprets the theme.

Below are four basic categories of themes with examples included.

Things

• Doors
• Road signs
• Old barns
• Abandoned buildings
• Churches
• Columns
• Water

Feelings and Emotions

• Happy
• Sad
• Mad
• Tired

  

Colors

• Red
• Green
• Blue

Shapes

• Circles
• Squares
• Lines

Lines are especially helpful for the budding photographer to recognize. If you choose this theme, make sure you point out how the lines move through your child’s pictures. Have them follow the lines with their fingers. This will help them compose more interesting pictures in the future.

Blue

You probably noticed that I picked “Blue” as the theme of this post. Most people will immediately think of the color blue. But blue can also be a feeling. Encourage your child to think creatively about the subject.

If your theme is “Happy”, ask your child what she can photograph besides a smiling face that will show happiness. Have your child think about things that make them happy. Maybe a warm summer day is happiness. Maybe reading a book with mom represents happiness. Get them thinking and using their imagination.

Review their pictures

As always, take some time to review your child’s pictures with them. Pick a few that you especially like and tell them why. Maybe your favorites are in focus or well exposed. Maybe they perfectly portrayed your chosen theme. Whatever it is give your child some positive feedback.

Let me know in the comments what theme you will try!

If your kids are getting into photography they might be having a hard time picking subjects.  Here is a list of 5 things you can encourage your child to photograph plus a few tips on getting the best results.

Toys

Have your child pick a favorite toy to photograph. Encourage them to take pictures from many different angles. First do the normal straight on shot. Then get up over the toy, then down below and so on. Sometimes our first instinct when we see a subject is not always the best picture. When they are done taking pictures of the toy, review the photos with them. Each of you should pick your favorite photo of the shoot.

Another idea for photographing toys is to create scenes. Arrange toys so that they are doing something. Set up a tea party for Barbie or a spy mission for your son’s action figures. This can be especially fun with Legos. Have your child be creative in what they set up. Try to tell a story with the final photo.

Pets

If you have a pet that can sit relatively still try taking pictures of it. Let’s say for example your child is taking a picture of a cat. Get down on the cat’s eye level. Whenever we are speaking to a person we look them in the eyes. The same usually goes for animals.

The picture will be much more engaging if we can look directly into the cat’s eyes. We will feel like we are making friends with a gentle kitten rather than just observing some animal from afar.

If your pet is not looking at the camera talk to them a little. Have your child hold the shutter button halfway down to focus. As soon as the cat looks at the camera snap the picture.

If you are taking pictures of fish through glass make sure the flash is off.

Plants and flowers

Go outside and find a flower or even just a leaf with vibrant colors. Try to get in as close as you can to these subjects. Most lenses will only focus a foot or two away from the subject. Any closer will be impossible to focus.

If your child is having trouble focusing at close distances you may be able to use the macro mode on your camera. Many point and shoot cameras have this feature built in. Look for a little flower icon to turn it on.

Macro mode allows you to focus at much closer distances. If you have a DSLR camera you will need a special macro lens. But don’t worry if you don’t have a macro lens because you probably have a camera phone that will do the trick. Iphones can focus about two inches away.

Family

Family and friends are always great subjects for pictures. Even poorly exposed or blurry photos of someone you love can make wonderful memories.

Younger siblings will be hard to photograph if they will not sit still. To avoid some frustration for your budding photographer, volunteer to sit for a photo instead of letting them chase around their little brother or sister.

Position yourself facing a large window, preferably a north facing window. Make sure the camera’s flash is off. Position your little photographer with their back to the window. This will throw some beautiful diffused light on you, the subject, which will make the picture turn out very nice.

Remember this little tip when you want to get some great shots of your kids too!

Food

Finally, have a little fun arranging your dinner on a plate and let your child take a few pictures before digging in. It does not even have to be a fancy meal. A plate of macaroni will work fine. But think about the color combination a little. If you have a blue plate to put under the yellow macaroni this will make the picture more pleasing to the eye.

A shallow depth of field is used many times in professional shots of food. This means that only a small portion of the food is in focus. Usually the front of the plate and the back is out of focus. To achieve this effect you need to set your child’s camera to a wide open aperture. This will be a smaller F number. If your camera has Aperture Priority (A) mode use it to set a small F number. Try to focus in the center of the plate.

Above all remember to allow your child to be creative and have fun. Don’t try to teach technical terms too early. This will only serve to stifle their imagination. Review your child’s pictures with them and you will be in awe at how a child views the world.

What do your kids love to take pictures of? Let me know in the comments.

A young child should not be burdened with the task of figuring out how to make the best exposure. For kids under 7 just let them use the automatic modes. You may hear advice to never use the auto modes but don’t let this bother you.

If your child enjoys taking pictures just let them be creative. See where their imagination takes them. That being said, you can help your child start to understand a little more about camera settings by choosing different modes for them.

I will explain the different auto modes available on most cameras. Don’t be afraid to experiment with them.

Auto Mode

Your camera will make all the decisions in this mode. This is the best place to start for most beginners. The only thing you need to think about is finding a great subject and composing for an interesting picture.

 Auto Flash Off Mode

This mode is the same as Auto except it turns off the flash. Your camera’s built-in flash generally creates unflattering light and shadows on your subjects. Use this mode when possible instead of Auto mode.

Portrait Mode

When taking pictures of people, this mode will tell the camera to blur the background. Messy backgrounds are often the cause of bad pictures. The camera will also soften the skin tones while sharpening other parts of your subject. Overall this creates a more pleasing portrait. All you have to do is compose and shoot.

Landscape Mode

This mode will make colors more vivid. It will also set your lens to a small aperture so that more of the scene is in focus.

 

Child Mode

Clothing colors will be more vibrant here while skin tones will be soft and flattering. Don’t expect this mode to always stop the action of a fast toddler though. In low light situations you will probably see some blur. Ironically this may not be the best mode for taking pictures of children. Instead, try out sports mode.

Sports Mode

When shooting sports we usually want to freeze the action. This requires a fast shutter speed and that is exactly what Sports Mode will do for you. Flash will also be set to off.

 

Close-up Mode

Do not confuse this with a Macro mode available on some fixed lens cameras. Close-up Mode sets a small aperture so that more of your picture is in focus. In technical terms this creates a larger depth-of-field. This mode will not make your lens focus any closer than normal.

If you have a fixed lens camera with Macro mode it will also be designated with a flower. Turn Macro Mode on to allow your lens to focus much closer. Both modes are designed to take close-up pictures of your subject.

The beginning of understanding

As your child picks different subjects help them select the correct mode to get the best results. They will begin to understand that there is more to photography than just pressing the shutter button. They can learn all about the manual modes when they are ready. Don’t rush it.

Leave a comment and let me know what mode you shoot with the most and why!