Even with their sweet faces, children aren’t always the easiest models to work with. Sometimes they are extraordinarily shy and other times they simply don’t want to pose for the camera. No matter their mood or disposition, though, your goal as the photographer is to get them to warm up to you and bring out their unique personalities. BP4U’s The Beginner’s Guide To: Posing Children will help you do just that. In addition, the guide teaches you lots of poses (for various ages and groupings), editing techniques, prop usage and pricing ideas. It also includes editing before and afters that show you how the photos were edited, the best camera settings for your shoots and a mega FAQ that’ll help improve your skills.
The “Knee Up” Sitting Pose
Asking a child to sit on the floor seems easy enough, but once they’re sitting down, many aren’t sure what to do next. That’s where your expertise — and BP4U’s child posing guide — comes into play.
In order to make the child’s feet, legs, hands and arms look natural, you must ask them to position their bodies in certain ways. For example, in the pictures above, portrait photographer Wendy of Five Eleven Photography has her boy clients bend one knee up and loosely hug the top of their knee joint.
You can photograph pose from different angles and come up with completely different photographs, like Wendy did above.
3 More Sitting Pose Tips:
- Sometimes children do sit naturally right away. Don’t be afraid to snap some pictures of them in their “natural state” before you start posing them.
- When posing siblings together, make sure you get some shots of them engaging with each other. You can tell them to “act like they love each other” which should get a few giggles out of them. Hugs and squeezes are another great way to get siblings to interact naturally.
- Wendy often uses chairs as props when posing children ages 9 months and up (make sure you have a spotter nearby). Chairs add a nice pop of color.
Click here to read more information on The Beginner’s Guide To: Posing Children.
{What People are Sayin’:}
“If you loved the Traci Ryant guides, this is the absolute must-have guide to get next! It has so much information, it will blow your mind!” –Brooke Bustillos
“I am super excited about this Beginners Guide. I have been shooting for several years now but there are times I feel the need to refresh myself with what works and step out and do some new things . Just purchased and became a member!” –Michelle Flowers Photography
“I have to say what a TREASURE this is going to be for so many beginners. I consider myself to be still in the beginning stages and this will be a resource that I pull from regularly!”
“I just want to say that this guide is AMAZING! I like all of your guides, but I have young children and can clearly see techniques in this guide that I can try with all of my children, and techniques that will help with sessions I already have set up with other children.” –Jessi J.
Topics Covered:
- How to pose children
- How to make them relax
- How to pose with siblings
- How to get a lot of poses out of one location & not a lot of time
- How to talk to the parents even when it’s awkward
- How to use different props with boys and girls to get the most versatility out of your props
- Editing Techniques and Workflow
- Includes Posing for Boys and Girls from 6 months to 6 years.
Also includes posing cards so you can take these tips on the go!