Product Description

Few parents can resist the urge to photograph every adorable stage of their children's lives, but most parents do it more lovingly than well. No matter how enthusiastic they are, too often the results are blurry, overexposed, and boring snapshots.

Newly revised with an entirely new chapter on the latest trends in digital photography, How to Photograph Children offers practical, detailed, and nonintimidating advice to help transform that enthusiasm into memorable photographs that capture a child's distinctive spirit (and involve the child in the process). After gently guiding the amateur photographer through such technical basics as which camera, film, and exposure to use, the authors offer specific suggestions about shooting indoors and out as well as invaluable advice (based on their own long experience as successful professional portrait photographers) about working with children at each age. The book includes useful information about how to get the best work out of the photofinisher, even if it's just your local one-hour mini-lab. Throughout, sidebars offer additional information on everything from film speeds to "smile getters," and the 200 photographs provide clear examples of what to do--and what not to do--when photographing children of every age and temperament.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #277049 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 143 pages

From the Publisher
A friendly, technically savvy guide to taking irresistible photographs.

About the Author
Lisa Jane and Rick Staudt are friends and award-winning colleagues in Houston, where they both run professional portrait studios specializing in children. Lisa Jane's book Enchanted Childhood: The Magical World of Lisa Jane was published by Abbeville in 1999.

Customer Reviews

Good for Beginners; Not as Good for Advanced Amateurs
This is a good book for beginners, with extensive discussion of many of the basics of lighting, composition and exposure. However, if you have read a couple of the excellent books on general photography out there for beginners, you will already have heard most of the advice. The fact that this book puts the basics in context for people who photograph mainly children is mildly useful, but it would be much more useful if the authors instead would delve into greater detail on issues peculiar to children.

As examples, children tend to need softer lighting, and additional material on how to generate soft lighting would have been useful. Children also tend to be more difficult to direct and they don't stay still. This, as the book acknowledges in several places, requires a more spontaneous set-up and approach, yet the discussion rarely follows through with details, reverting instead to a more traditional and meticulous set up.

Please don't misunderstand this review. If you are a beginner and have a particular interest in children, this may be the book for you, especially if you are only going to get one book. I would tend to rely instead for most of the basic information on the classics, like Basic Photographic Materials and Processes (Stroebel et al); the Ansel Adams series (the Camera, the Negative, and the Print); and Horenstein's book on Black and White Photography, and would look for more advanced information from a book focused just on children. Unfortunately, I picked this up hoping it would be that more advanced book, and it is not.

Better Title - How to Photograph People
I almost didn't even pick-up this book because of the title. I have no interest in photographing children. But almost everything in this book applies to photographing people. Both the writing and photography are very good. The content is concise, well organized and straight to the point. The example photos are those that any weekend shutterbug can aspire to create, not overwhelming masterpieces that would take years of experience and tons of equipment. And technique applies to any type of camera.

Very useful book!
As an amateur/hobbyist photographer for 20+ years as well as an avid reader I have read a lot of books on the subject, but none as fun to read as this. It contains lots of practical advice about composition and lighting as well as basics about film and equipment selection. The authors also tell how they got a particular shot, and give very clear examples and advice about technique. I recommended this book to several friends and relatives who wanted a basic book about photography, and, although the focus is on children's photography, this advice is translatable to other areas as well.
I was very impressed by the conversational tone and humorous approach which is often evident. What was great was that they encourage a lot of experimentation and they are not camera snobs - they actually acknowledge that such things as point & shoot & single use cameras are in use and tell you how to get the best of them, without making you feel like you're somewhat inferior if you're not using an SLR or medium format.
All in all, I highly recommend this book. Did I mention that the photos are great and the feeling is that they are actually attainable by the average amateur photographer?