How to Make Everyday Snapshots into Portraits

We do not do JC Penny's Studio portraits. And we don't go to Sears or Walmart or even a fancy studio. We do our own at home, in the forest, outside, and at the park. As a modern momma, I am always sporting my digital camera, so we may as well take advantage of it!

Most digital cameras, or even 'old school' 35 mm cameras are just fine for beautiful pictures! I have an Olympus Stylus 300 that I bought 3 or so years ago and it was relatively inexpensive at Walmart. An upgrade to a 64 MB card so I can hold about 80 pictures was a worthwhile purchase, but nothing real fancy is needed.

The beauty of taking the pictures yourself is that there is no pressure on the child to preform for a stranger in a strange place. Portraits can be upsetting to young children because of all this pressure. Wait until your child is in a good mood and the quickly dress them up, select a background, select the lighting and click away!

The best clothing is plain clothing that enhances the child's features rather than distracts the viewer. Solids and small prints are preferable, with similar colors throughout. A shirt with a large logo may be trendy, but the focus of the picture will be on the logo rather than the child's face. A classic combination is bare feet with a white shirt and overalls. Yellow should be avoided with most children as it is not very complementary. Bright primary colors often bring out striking blue eyes and rosy cheeks, and pink is usually a wonderful compliment to a child's sweet pink mouth. All black or white or a combination thereof should be avoided in most cases.

After the child is dressed, quickly go over their face with a damp washcloth to erase any evidence of lunch. Pay special attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth. There is nothing worse than a beautiful picture with a bit of eye crust in it!

Now that the child is clean, happy, and dressed, it's time to choose your background. If you are shooting indoors, choose a place near a window with lots of natural light. Set up a backdrop of a light solid color. We used a light pink receiving blanket with excellent success, and have also used a cream-colored flat sheet. You want the background to extend down and under the child and up behind, filling the whole view of the camera. Light colors work best, as they reflect the light and keep everything bright and cheerful.

For outdoor pictures, keep the scene as natural as possible so your child really stands out. A small child in a field makes beautiful pictures, as does a grassy hill at a park. When shooting outdoors, aim the camera so the ground is in the background of at least 1/3 of the picture by focusing the camera looking slightly down at the child, rather than up. This can also be achieved by placing the child somewhere where the ground is going uphill behind them. This gives the viewer a reference point.

If your child sits on their own, you're good to go. If not, a Boppy can be used to prop them in. Put it *under* the backdrop and lay the child on it. This gives some structure yet isn't going to overbear the picture.

For a child who is interested in toys, choose something for them to hold. Choose something original that is classic and will not look dated in a couple years. We like our heirloom wooden rattle, kitchen utensils such as wooden spoons and wire whisks, or a soft classic doll like the ones found at Green Bean Boutique. If the picture is being taken outdoors, a trike is a great prop, as are pine cones, rocks, or a fist full of wildflowers.

Now for taking the actual picture! There is comfort in numbers here. Take lots of pictures. Don't try to force the child to smile right away, but capture their expressions as they are looking around. These precious facial expressions are often missed in our society that is so rushed to only show happy pictures. Click click click away. After you sense that your child is comfortable with where they are now, you can start making silly faces and saying silly phrases to provoke a smile. Focus on the child's face, and be sure to get closeups. Try to fill the whole viewfinder with the child for good detail.

For contrast, back up a bit and take a picture of the child off center to give visual interest in the picture. In your mind, create a 9-square grid on your camera viewfinder and take a picture with your child being in one of the corner quadrants. This will cause the eye to move about the picture, turning an ordinary snapshot into a work of art. This works best when you are capturing the child's whole form in the picture, head to toe.

To keep the child in focus, most cameras allow you to focus by holding the button half way down. Aim at the child, hold the button half way down, and then move the camera a bit so the child is no longer in the dead center. Cameras are designed to focus on what is in the middle of the viewfinder unless this override is done.

When you are satisfied with your pictures and think you have a few winners, it's time to upload them to your computer and see what you have! I have gotten many framable pictures in this way, and I am confident that you will too. I just get mine printed at Walmart and we are very happy with the quality. The most recent 'photoshoot' that I did has a few gorgeous pictures in it that I will be blowing up to 11x14 and will treasure always! I'm happy to do this for my family, it's fun, inexpensive, and rewarding, and I hope you find it so as well.