Clicking photographs with children is perhaps a task most professional photographers find difficult. However, one Indian photographer, who has aced working with kids, is Saurabh Panjwani. His pictures, especially those with children in them, are talk of the town and he is often approached by people, including celebrity parents, for capturing their babies in the best possible way. Saurabh, who has a lot of experience in this field, can create beautiful memories with his camera and now, he wants to share his knowledge with other upcoming photographers, who want to work with kids.
Talking about his obsession with clicking kids’ photographs, Saurabh says, “Kids are the most natural subjects because they don’t pose, unless asked to. Adults, when in front of the camera, put on their best foot forward, mostly without even realizing it. With children, you just need to let them relax in front of the camera and capture their natural innocence, which makes my photographs a treasure.”
Here are the top 5 tips by Saurabh, which would help you ace the game as well –
- Don’t use too many Props – Using too many things in one frame can ruin the beauty that the child brings to a picture. A child’s emotions and expressions should be the most prominent factor of a photograph. Instead, if you fill in too many props around the kid, not only will the kid look a bit lost in the end result, your photograph will fail to create a lasting impact on the viewer.
- Use Soft Light – Saurabh prefers to click children in a natural environment, therefore, whenever he selects the time of shoot with a child, he ensures that it is sunrise, as far as possible. Since the sunrise means a soft light all around, without the harshness associated with a full blazing sun, the child feels comfortable posing for pictures at that time.
- Go Outdoors – Everyone needs space and it is truer in case of children, who come alive in a playground or a park, playing around on a swing or a see-saw. It helps them relax and create lasting impressions in front of the camera. Always try to shoot amidst natural surroundings, instead of indoors.
- Select Simple Wardrobe – Children become fidgety too soon, especially if they are wearing heavy clothing or too many clothes or accessories. Just as soft light and natural surroundings are necessary to capture their innocence in the best manner, so is a simple wardrobe, which has their favorite clothes in their favorite colors. In other words, don’t overdo clothes or accessories.
- Use Natural Props – Kids love to play with things, especially if it isn’t their usual toys. So, when you are clicking photographs with them in natural surroundings, bring in suitable props, like a flower, a twig or a bunch of leaves and use it as a prop, instead of going for artificial ones.
