The most remarkable feeling is to capture an authentic moment of a child, and to do this with a stunning, well exposed photograph.

A portrait that captures their character & curiosity will be an image you will return to time and time again. I have learned through lots of trial and error ways to help create an environment that invites the best pictures from a child.

With a little practice, you’ll immediately see your portraits improve in both quality and emotion.

Here’s a few of the most helpful tips I use to get the best possible portraits of a child

Lower the camera level - Most opportunities to capture a great shot will be below your waist. Don’t shoot from your eye level. Shoot from theirs. Lower the camera. Too many times you see the top or back of a child’s head. By lowering the camera you invite eye contact. When I have a chance, I usually sit on the floor or set the camera on the floor near them.
Change your body language - Now that digital cameras have large LCD screens on the back of the camera, you can change your body language as you begin to shoot, holding the camera away from your body. This allows you to have a larger view of the scene and you can anticipate movements.
TURN OFF THE FLASH. Your camera is really versatile. It will do what it needs to get the light. The only thing you might get is motion blur. Stick with it.

Survey the Scene. Spot meter the areas where your subject may move throughout the space. To do this, most cameras allow you to press the shutter button halfway, allowing the camera to focus and meter correctly for what is in the frame. With the button still depressed, move the camera in a way to compose your frame. This technique allows you to trick the camera into getting exactly the exposure settings you want.

Skin Tone. Find it and follow-it. This will give you the softness and the flexibility you’ll need to crop & edit later. If the skin tone has the proper exposure, you should be fine. Intimate portraits will most always include eyes & hands.

Stay with them… You’ll find that you will eventually capture the essence of your subject if you just stay with them. Missed opportunities happen too frequently when we stop shooting.

Excerpt taken from the book The Future of Memories