MomShots

Last week Jessica was asking for guest bloggers to post on MomShots.com and I jokingly responded that the site needed a “DadShots post from a guy.” I was surprised when she responded with a positive and encouraging comment, so I jumped at the chance to reach out to an audience of parents that love to photograph their kids. I became a MomShots fan after Jessica gave a presentation at Photo Camp Utah in March of 2009. The theme of this site reminds me of what initially sparked my interest in photography, taking photos of my kids.

My journey into photography began in June 2000 when my first son, Caleb, was born. As a proud new parent I took pictures of him with a VGA camera (640 x 480, not even 1 megapixel) that only had enough memory to take 12 pictures, and cost about $500. The pictures looked terrible, but I was able to email them to family and was quickly bitten by the photo bug. Almost ten years and seven cameras have passed since I snapped the first picture of Caleb. To this day I constantly remind myself it’s not about getting perfect photos of my kids, it’s about capturing memorable moments through photos.

As my photo skills have increased, so has my level of personal photo critique. Can professional or pro-am photo skills be combined with creating memorable photos of your kids? It’s hard to pre-visualize photographic moments with kids. Christmas morning with children is not about perfect lighting, f-stops and shutter speeds. It’s not always possible to create a perfect environment to photograph candid moments of kids. In my house, the crazy photographic moments happen when my youngest son, Connor, spontaneously dresses up as Nacho Libre with Batman wings and runs around the house with a Star Wars lightsaber. The challenge that I have is putting the elements of getting a perfect image out of my head so I can capture that memorable moment.

While it may not be possible to create the perfect photographic environment every time you point the camera at your kids, there are some easy things you can do to improve your photos:

Lighting – Turn off the on-camera flash. When shooting indoors, open the blinds and let some ambient or available light from a window into the room. This works well when you’re attempting to capture a candid moment of your kids because the flash won’t distract them. Natural sources of light look better than the hard shadow created by a flash.

Light: Natural light from a window

Speed – Kids move quickly, you may want to consider using the Sports or Action mode on your camera. Observe what the camera has suggested for the light conditions and subject (ISO, shutter speed, etc.). When you’re ready to use creative modes on your camera (i.e. Aperture, Shutter Priority, Manual Exposure, etc.), you’ll know and understand what needs to be setup.

Speed: Sneaking A Quick Lick of Birthday Cake

Get down and close – Part of creating a memorable photo is getting a different perspective. You can do that by getting down on the floor with your kids and moving closer to their face. Use the 6 Tips for Photographing Kids in the left-hand margin of MomShots.com.

Down low: Snowboard Wipeout

Take lots of photos – Memory cards are cheap! Don’t judge your photos by previewing them on the tiny screen of your camera. Viewing them on your computer monitor is much more rewarding. You will find photos you thought were trash captured the moment better than expected.

Tons of photos: Sledding off a Jump

Again, it’s not about creating perfect images of our kids. It’s about capturing memorable moments through photos. Improve your skills, read your camera manual, and take tons of photos. In the natural progression of things, your skills as a photographer will show in the images you create as Mom or Dad.

Note from Jessica: Shaun is an awesome photographer. You can find more of his images at his website. Thanks for the wonderful post and refreshing perspective. I know I speak for all of us when I say come back and post anytime! Thanks Shaun!”