- Advice #10: Crop tight by: Jan H. Andersen
August 15, 2011, 19:45
Cropping a portrait is a difficult thing to do. We don't want the leave out anything, so we tend to capture as much as possible. But the closer you get to the subject, the more intimate will it be. The closer you get on the face, the more…
- Advice #11: Twist that camera by: Jan H. Andersen
August 23, 2011, 20:11
Don't worry about skewed walls or floors and horizons not being even. You're not a landscape photographer but a portrait photographer. If it looks good it's okay, even if it makes that old landscape photographer gasp. Strange angles can add a lot of…
- Advice #12: Just add drama by: Jan H. Andersen
August 23, 2011, 20:13
If you want to make mommies cry and hug you and love you for the rest of their lives, just add drama to the portrait. This is a very personal opinion and a regular part of my work - and I can assure you, that a lot of mommies are loving me…
- Advice #13: Smiles are not required by: Jan H. Andersen
August 23, 2011, 20:14
It's okay to smile in a portrait, but it's certainly not required. You're not making a toothpaste commercial. Most of my favorite portraits don't have any smiles. Not because I prefer sad kids, but because this is how we usually look. Most of us…
- Advice #14: Learn to love clouds by: Jan H. Andersen
August 23, 2011, 20:15
Even without expensive light equipment you can make pro-quality portraits just by opening your front door and go outside. The garden is a very natural environment for child portraits and there's actually nothing like a cloudy day to give you…
- Advice #15: Do a lot with less by: Jan H. Andersen
August 23, 2011, 20:17
If I could bring only one piece of equipment beside my camera, it would without doubt be my reflector. I use a reflector for all kinds of portraits - high key and low key studio portraits, and for natural light portraits indoor and outdoor. I…
- Advice #16: Space matters by: Jan H. Andersen
August 23, 2011, 20:18
There are so many things to say about composition. One thing that I like to use is what's usually called "negative space". This can be achieved by many different approaches, but the simplest way to explain it is when your subject take up a relatively…
- Advice #17: Use props to relax the child by: Jan H. Andersen
September 2, 2011, 21:29
I often use props when making portraits of kids. It serves two different purposes. First of all it makes it possible to capture natural looking expressions full of curiosity, smiles and laughter that will end up as much more interesting and…
- Advice #18: Go to their natural environment by: Jan H. Andersen
September 3, 2011, 12:14
Portrait photography is of course not only about studio photos. You kan make just as good - and often even better - photos, if you take your camera outside or go to the home, where the children live. The child is more relaxed in it's own home and…
- Advice #1: Time & Patience by: Jan H. Andersen
August 15, 2011, 19:29
Your most important tool, when making portraits of children, and probably anyone else, is also one of the tools not available in stores. Fortunately it's free, but not necessarily easy to aquire. It's "patience". I know far too many…
- Advice #2: Focus on the eyes by: Jan H. Andersen
August 15, 2011, 19:38
This advice ought to be basic knowledge, but every day I notice portraits that are out of focus. When you look at a portrait, the first thing you notice is the eyes. If the eyes are out of focus, the entire photo look out of focus. If the…
- Advice #3: Get down on the knees by: Jan H. Andersen
August 15, 2011, 19:39
No, not the child. You! In most cases you want the camera to be at the same level as, or just a little above, the eyes of the child. In addition to making the expression more natural it's also more relaxing for the child, if that stranger of a…
- Advice #4: Look out for the small details before you take any photos by: Jan H. Andersen
August 15, 2011, 19:40
We don't want to look at children with a booger under the nose, dirt in the creeks of the eyes or the mouth, or leftovers between the teeth. Even less do we want to look at it for decades on the wall. Most parents take care of these things…
- Advice #5: Solve a problem - don't create one by: Jan H. Andersen
August 15, 2011, 19:42
During the average portrait session I take something like 120 photos per child. When I have discarded all the test shots and obvious misses (closed eyes, weird expressions etc) I have something like 100 usable photos left. When I started…
- Advice #6: Ask the parents on skin retouching by: Jan H. Andersen
August 15, 2011, 19:42
My own personal opinion on cosmetic skin retouching is very clear. Transient flaws are removed. This includes for example sores, bruises and obvious pimples. Permanent features such as moles, scars and birthmarks are not removed. The latter…
- Advice #7: Whiten those teeth by: Jan H. Andersen
August 15, 2011, 19:43
Visible teeth are in no way required in a portrait in my opinion. My favorite portraits don't even have smiles. But when the smiles are there, make sure they look as good as they can. Studio light reveals everything and the bright white…
- Advice #8: Let the kids define some of the photos by: Jan H. Andersen
August 15, 2011, 19:44
Often the kids just have to sit down and look cute and will leave the rest to their parents and the photographer. It works most of the time, but some kids might be a little reluctant to do this portrait-thing. A great way to get their…
- Advice #9: Don't make them sit in a row by: Jan H. Andersen
August 15, 2011, 19:44
I have to be honest. I really hate group portraits. Two people are okay, but three siblings or all the kids with mom and dad is just one horrible subject. 5 people of different size, some of them photogenic, some of them not, dad a little…
