The art of photographing kids is found at the core of your patience.  Kids love to play and explore the world around them, so when photographing kids, take this into consideration.  Don’t just press the shutter button, wait for the perfect moment, the special expression or even the mischievious glint in their eye which will make it all worth it!  Find something new that will keep them interested like a metal cog and screw for instance I took the time on Sunday to take a few photos of my brother’s youngest son Wian, who turns 2 in two months!  Now let me tell you this little boy is busier than a worker ant.  There just isn’t enough time in a regular day to do everything this little man wants to do. This is the first time EVER Wian sat still and posed for a few photos and it is all because I kept him interested.  When you take photographs of kids know that it will take a lot of time and patience.  Play with them and mess around. Always remember to keep eye contact with your subject.  Yes, I know it’s hard to keep eye contact and compose your shot and if you are still battling with this find yourself an accomplice like the toddler’s mom to standby and pull funny faces with the child for instance (like above) Kids (especially toddlers) tend to mimic our behaviour, so talk to them, make funny noises and pull faces and ask them to do the same.  You might just be very surprised with the outcome   Whatever you are thinking of doing make sure it will appeal to your subject’s nature. And if it turns out that your little model is just a little too big for their shoes, take the shot anyway as this is part of truly capturing their nature!

Riani