5 Secrets For Magical Photos Of Children & Babies by Saurabh Panjwani

Aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens. The wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field will be. A shallow depth of field means that only a small portion of your image will be in sharp focus while the rest appears blurred.

Saurabh Panjwani

Do you struggle to take good photos of children and babies? Children photography can be challenging. But it’s also incredibly rewarding. So how do you take beautiful photos of children? How do you capture the magic of childhood in a picture?

1. Choose A Location For Your Photo Shoot
Of course, the child is the most important element in your photo. But you also need to choose a location for your shoot. Even though the background often appears blurred in a portrait photo, it’s still an important part of the final image. Look for a backdrop that adds detail to your photo. If there’s no detail or texture, you won’t have anything to create that beautiful background blur.

2. Shoot In Soft Natural Light
Good light will add a magical quality to your photos.The same location can look completely different in different kinds of light. And certain kinds of light are more flattering on your subject than others. And the best kind of light is soft or diffused light. This type of light softens details and is flattering on the skin.It also softens the overall mood of the photo, which is perfect for creating magical photos of children.

3. Use Backlight Or Sidelight For Children Photography
Most people think it’s best to have the sun behind you when taking photos.But for beautiful child portraits, this isn’t the case.If the sun is behind you, it will shine directly onto your subject’s face. This will cause the child to squint – and you definitely don’t want that.Bright light on the face of your subject can also result in the skin being over-exposed (too bright).Backlighting results in magical images with a gorgeous glow around your subject. For best results, ensure the sun doesn’t dominate the scene.

4. Capture Natural Poses & Emotions
Getting children to pose for photos is difficult. And it usually results in unnatural poses and forced smiles.The trick is to not ask your subject to pose or smile! Instead, try giving the child direction with simple, encouraging instructions. Make them feel at ease by talking to them gently.Tell them you’re going to have great fun together. Ask them questions. Encourage them to play.Once the child feels at ease, they’ll start moving around more naturally. And you’ll be able to capture real joy and emotion as they play.

5. Use A Wide Aperture For Beautiful Background Blur
How do you capture the beautiful blurry backgrounds that you often see in portrait photos?

It’s actually very easy. You just need to use a wide aperture.

Aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens. The wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field will be. A shallow depth of field means that only a small portion of your image will be in sharp focus while the rest appears blurred.

You can follow Saurabh Panjwani on Instagram for interesting baby pictures.