How to take good pictures for Painting portrait and how to develop your skills to make better pictures and get better painting portraits? This post could perfectly be the second part of “How to make good photos for painting portrait? Reflexions on how to turn your photo into a painting. (part 1)“. 10 Ways to Take Better Photos of Your Child for a painting portrait of children.
We are going to explore 10 ways of improving your photos for Painting Portraits.
In this particular post I want to get into photographing children, which would be more difficult than taking photos from more aged models. Children have big vitality and lots of energy. It is not always easy to get them sit or quiet and this is a handicap for taking pictures. This is also the reason why most of the children painting portraits are directly made from pictures. I should also add that I receive lots of children pictures (so many don´t work for a good portrait and must be discard) and several requests on “how to get better images of my child”, or which would be the lines to follow or the best way to get good images of the children for the painting portrait…
Here are some tips to take better pictures of your children to get good base for painting portrait.
A very common error about taking pictures with our cameras and specially with our phones is not to take enough distance of our subject and the distortion we can get from approaching too much. ©Bogra art studio
- First of all and very important! Be patient!
Since kids are always moving and active you cannot oblige them to stand still (Not always). The best way is to observe them, like a wildlife observer or chaser. Wait for the right moment and clic! And of course be lucky! We are all in a rush actually, trying to solve things and close issues but kids have they own vital clock. Their personal time measures…Adapt to this tempo, observ and learn to wait is the key. Something good will happen. Always!
- Don´t pressure them.
I know you know this but sometimes it is good to remember that kids are persons too. With their own personality and needs. They are not robots that will do what you want them to do when you want them to do it…The more you pressure them the less results you´ll get. They will even love to challenge you! So it is not a bad idea to let them play before or during the session of photos. I know this is time consuming but it could save your shoot! Check the tip 5.
- The “so wanted” smile.
A smile is not always required! In fact if you take a close look at most of the great portraits of all times, people in general, and specially children, are not smiling at all. A serene face can sometimes convey and express a lot more than a (forced) smiling one. I specially love when kids get into an abstraction moment. When they isolate from the entourage and concentrate on their moment. Far away from time and space.
A smile is not always required or necessary. A serene look can sometimes be more powerful and suggest a lot more for a portrait painting. ©Bogra art studio
- The place.
Choose a good place. It is not the same taking pictures in the Kitchen than in the woods, surrounded by Mother Nature. Kids tent to connect immediately with nature and fresh air. You don’t have to go to too far away to find a tree and some green. Even a little park will do and will change the atmosphere of the pictures and their expressions.
- The Play.
Play with the kids! Why not to start the photo session as a game!? Kids love to play and love to participate… They love to feel that we need them for something special like an interesting project, and what better than a game? With young girls you can play to modeling or to statue. You can also play to make diverse faces and capture them while doing grimaces. This will relax their muscular facial gesture. Or why not to copy actors scenes of their favorites movies?
- The light.
Choose a good light! The light is very important. Photographers know this! A bad light can damage a good picture. For our purpose, Children pastel portraits, we are looking for no strong shadows or lights. What the photographers usually call flat light. Or white light. We have two options here. One is to position your child against the sun. This way you will get flat light and sunny hair contour. The other option is to place them in a shadow place but in a very sunny day. Or to wait for a cloudy and bright day!
Comparing 2 images. Even the sunset light was beautiful it was not suitable for this little girl portrait. The second picture was made in a shadow zone, getting more homogeny lighting.. ©Bogra art studio
- The camera.
I know! The camera sounds very intimidating thing, but I want you to know that it is worth to use a camera rather than your mobile phone. We are looking for a better portrait of your children. This also means quality image. A good quality picture will help to get into the details. If you don´t have a camera find a friend with a camera! The last option should be the camera phone. Unless it is a last generation phone that will give us useful results.
- The point of view
Ok. Here is the think! You are much more higher than your boy or girl!! So please, stop taking pictures from above… Could you please down yourself at your child´s level? Distortions are one of the most frequent errors. And don´t place yourself to close to your subject! We are looking for a real face. Not those reflections from the laughing mirrors. Zoom just a little and you will get a better shot!
The point of view is important. Remember that you are taler than your child, so it is not a bad idea to get into his or her visual level…This way you will avoid distortions and will get a better portrait. ©Bogra art studio
- The clothes.
Since you are planning all aspects of the shoot, it is not a bad idea to also take care of the clothes before taking the pictures. A good dressing can make a different portrait. Yes. The Painting portrait artist can change some clothes color or chemise model. But remember, the clothes also reflect his light and color to the face and skin… Also the color you choose will influence the final result!
- Enjoy! Shoot And vary!
Enjoy the moment and make several pictures. Since we are looking for a good base for the Pastel portrait painting, why not to take more than a “couple” of pictures? Children are always moving and cannot be quiet for long time periods.This is why being patient and make a lot of photos will helps us a lot. The more images you take, the more you will have to choose from for your painting portrait. Don’t get in the same place all the time or conform to one only pose. Move and make move your model…Take your time and “the picture” will come to you.