Get Down!!!

“Get down now!!!” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, any movie.

For this installment of photography tips, let’s talk about getting down.

One clear sign of a new photographer is in how they angle their shots. It’s very easy to stand and take pictures, keeping the camera at the same height and (possibly) bending at the waist. This makes for a pretty boring photo, but with a little movement on your part (something which is probably doctor-prescribed anyways) you can get something much better.

Start by getting on the same level as your kids. Not mentally, of course, because you’ve already been there most of the day trying to get them to eat their meals by playing ‘choo-choo train’ with a fork. But rather, physically. Get on the ground and shoot up at them. This angle change will add a different quality to your images. By shooting up at them from the ground, you can make them look larger than life (which, up to this point, only their dirty diapers have indicated). Or, get on your knees and shoot their face at their level. This way, they aren’t looking up at you and contorting their neck, but instead you capture them the way they are naturally.

Another idea is to have your child roll in the grass for several feet, with you in front of them, rolling along with them, taking pictures the whole time. It’s fun to get different angles of them rolling around; you’ll get something unexpected when you roll with them!

Eric Doggett is a photographer in Austin, Texas. He has a site specifically for baby photography tips at ShootTheBaby.com, as well as BoxOfficeBaby.com, a site where you can order custom birth/party announcement cards and posters – including some unique tech birth announcements. You can reach him at babydaddy -at- ShootTheBaby.com.