Tip #3: Get Candid

Here’s the third in our 10-part series of articles from Sabra Krock, on how to best capture images of your child.

Posed photos may have their time and place, but candid shots that capture your child unselfconsciously at play are often the ones you’ll treasure the most. I love taking pictures of my child looking directly into the camera, but I always look for opportunities to photograph him unwittingly. Either way, I almost never ask my subjects to say cheese. Be patient and wait for genuine smiles. Instead, try talking and engaging with your subject from behind the lens or sitting down with your camera during playtime. After a while, babies and children – and even adults — will forget the camera and return to whatever they’re doing. You will capture some precious moments that encapsulate the spirit of your child and your family.

This is a photo of Max and his slightly older friend Bea playing in the afternoon.  I love the sweet innocence of this scene.

This is a shot of my husband and Max looking out at the first snowfall of the winter. I had to race to get my camera before the moment was lost.

And here is Max reading with his great aunt.  Sometimes the view from behind tells the story!

This is the third installment in a weekly series of posts by Manhattan photographer Sabra Krock on how to take better photographs of your child. Come back next Monday for Tip #4: Don’t Forget Yourself.