It’s all in the eyes…
I’ve mentioned it before and I will mention it again. And again. And again. It’s that pivotal to taking good momshots that I won’t let it become a subject that we read about once and then forget. What is it you ask? It is the concept that when we photograph children we need to experiment with bringing the camera down to their eye level. We can try different angles besides directly in front of them, but as a general rule we should avoid taking photos while towering above them.
One of the concepts of taking portraits is to bring the viewer and the subject together in a conversation. A conversation where the two parties are generally on equal terms. When we shoot children looking down on them, it separates them dramatically from the adults. It impresses our adult superiority on them. That’s not really the goal (unless that is your goal…).
These two momshots are taken from different angles. One is taken at Ulysses’s eye level and the other is taken from below. Neither of these impose our adultness onto him, they bring us into his world because we can see as he sees. I really like the camera angle for these two momshots, I like the lighting as well. I am also a little bit enamoured of the “noise” in these photos. I need to work on using the correct ISO setting a little better, but I kind of like the result.
The Momshot tip of the day is to experiment with the angle from which you are photographing your little cherubs. Try something new and see how it turns out. You may be pleasantly surprised!
