With my youngest starting prep and eldest flying into Grade 2 this year, I have found much to cherish and celebrate. It’s an exciting phase for them with many changes and personal development. If like me, you don’t want to forget the little things then here’s a few tips and ideas for capturing those precious moments. I’ve used phone photos here because these tips and ideas apply to any camera you use and frankly, it is my everyday camera.
1/ First Year At School
Exciting and anxious time for kids and parents. So much so, it can all be but a blur by the end of the year. But what a milestone it is! Think about the questions you want to answer in years to come. eg. How did she fit in that uniform? How big was that bag on him?! How excited was she? How excited was mum and dad?? :) It’s not just about faces, it’s about the details like the size of their hands in yours and the pigtails :) A tip with those photos together, squat down and get to their level so your photos are not always looking down at them.
2/ Their Proud Moments
I love the enthusiasm, excitement and the hilarity of this age! It doesn’t take big moments and events to excite them. Little things will do and it’s usually the little things we forget so take time to photograph them. My daughter brought home her first little ‘project’. To nuture a wheat plant from seed which she started at school. A proud moment that she wanted photographed. Things you can think about when photographing such moments (eg. receiving school certificates) include:
Lighting – If you are in open sun, move around so the light is on their face and you can clearly see their expression. So that they’re not squinting, squat down yourself so they’re not looking upwards towards the sky. I didn’t go completely to eye level below as I wanted to see the whole of the plant. If the object you want to photograph is portable (like a school certificate), move into full shade during the day to avoid heavy shadows and squinting.
Minimise clutter in the background – Because of the difference in height between her and her plant, I asked her to squat down so she more level to it which allowed me to fill the frame with minimal clutter in the background. This does two things:
- Brings focus to her and her plant (and her socks in thongs style ;))
- Makes it clear what this moment was about. In years to come you won’t be wondering “Is this about how tall she is or how she looks in uniform or what the house looked like!”
Incorporate relevant background information – Sometimes remembering to move out and including more of the background is necessary to tell a story. If you always zoomed in to just the child, you might miss capturing the full story. eg. location, event, purpose etc. The trick is to include just enough but not too much information :)
3/ When They Learnt To….
Fascinating amount of growing in such a short span of time really! And not just in size but in motor skills that changes them from babies to little independent beings. Capturing through photography the new skills becomes a great visual diary. And it’s such a great way to share stories with them as they get older. “Last year you started doing this, wonder what you can do this year?”
Tip for more natural reactions, don’t ask them to pose for it. Just encourage and be ready :)
4/ The Simple Moments
The moments that made you go wow! They’re always worth a capture. Every time I see these, I relive that moment when you realise they’ll always be your baby ♥♥
