I’m currently 2 day’s into my 3 day CreativeLive experience. And… just like last the last time, my butt.. is getting sore hehe.
But.. it’s completely worth it!!
CreativeLive is an online community for artists. They provide free education via an online streaming feed. You can then purchase an edited version for a very reasonable cost afterwards. They offer anything from Photography, Painting, How to’s on Photoshop or Lightroom etc etc. I’ve watched 2 now, Jasmine Star’s teach back in August, and this one by Tamara Lackey.
This time around, the CreativeLive team brought in the ever talented child photographer Tamara Lackey. Tamara has been shooting for 8 years now.. and definitely knows her stuff! She’s even had the pleasure of shooting the current US President Barack Obama! ( You know you’re legit when…)
Either way.. just like the last creative live teach.. I plopped my butt in front of the computer and took copious amounts of notes. Here are my notes for Day 1 :
- New Photographers think ” I have a camera, I can shoot anything.” Instead of finding your emotional value, and finding a specialty
- Shoot until you get the shot. Some shoots take a long time, but until you’re happy, you should stay.
- Be more concerned about getting better photographs, instead of getting more clients
- Read your manual, three times. and do everything. It will click. it’s all written there
- 3 top things to study at the beginning :
- master your technical settings
- post-processing
- slow down and think about the intereactions youhave with clients. have fun, don’t tell them what to do
- workflow is incredibly important. its all about time management
- Have an active blog, keeping it up to date goes a long way to having people coming back.
- In terms of personal information: ”Your website is like your street address. Your blog is where you live. And Twitter is your bathroom. People tweet things that are much more revealing.”
- You want everything to be driven to 1 central location. You want all your fan comments in 1 place so future clients can think “wow she’s popular”. Consider just posting pics to your blog, and linking facebook instead of posting pics to both. you are splitting the amounts of places people leave you messages
- Websites always take 20 times longer than you think
- Only show images that you love on your website. Your website defines you. and your style.
- Different children respond ( to the exact same situation) DIFFERENTLY. What works for 1 child 1 day, might not work the same the next day.
- While doing a consult - get the basics from parents. name birthday etc.. what does your child get excited about? Are they dreamy? Spacey? Do they get excited easily? Are they snuggly? Do they need their space? What do they think is funny? or stupid?
- Mood is a big big deal! the mood is more important than location, clothing, etc.
- You need to open up to children, in order for them to open up to you.
- You only need to very much know them for their next hour or two. Look for a non-verbal hint on how they feel. Children can’t talk yet, so they are still very non-verbal. Body language is everything. If they are smiling or laughing, they are comfortable and are inviting you in.
- Practice empathetic listening. repeat back to them how they are feeling. Children are really good at recognizing if you are fake. They will classify you as phony, and not connect with you
- It’s not just about taking pictures, but about capturing the connection
- Crouch down to the child’s level, make them feel “seen” and heard
- Hand out “sneak peaks” of pictures as treats. as a reward so children will stay engaged.
- If they are shy, show them how awesome their pics are. They will feel more comfortable. If they are always asking. Set a limit. ” you only get 10 shots, are you sure you want to waste it on this one”
- Regardless of the type of expression you want. mimic the child’s emotions. If they are quiet, you should be too.
- Adjust your personality to the child, if they are quiet and reserved, you should not be loud and frantic.
- Try taking pictures with the camera off to the side. This means you do not break eye contact and kids are more comfy.
- If a child is shy, do not put the camera to your face and take a picture at the first sign of a smile. The child will get frightened and revert back to being uncomfortable. Be confident that this won’t be the only smile you see during the day.
- Kids are conditioned to smile when a camera comes out. They give you a CHEESE smile. It is your job to make them less lens aware.
CHILD PERSONALITY TYPES:
- the super star: performer, up for anything, show you everything ” did you see that? how did I look?” they always want to see the pictures. You will have to work to pull out the quiet thoughtful side
-the shy one: reserved, very standoffish. shy children are used to being left alone, and its not always their choice. You need time to pull out the happy outgoing parts. Pictures are best done in their house where they feel comfortable. Shoot with a long lens so your not in their face
- the interactive one: they are very pliable as long as you continue to talk to them and keep them engaged. They will do almost anything you ask.
- the one who just needs to warm up: just give it time!! Most kids are in this category
- to cool for school: they are self conscious, they are coming into a new awareness of themselves.”this is embarrassing, or i’m not into this”. Let them know that you understand they got forced into this. Empathize!!! I know how you feel! 40 minutes and were done! Your this much closer to freedom!
- spirited one: emotional! cry 1 min, laugh the next
- sick, tired and just having a tantrum:
- I allott 2 hours for a shoot, but i give 4 hours in case they take time to warm up
- We are not raising moral human beings, we’re just doing a photo shoot. You can lead them on, to get what you want. and then say JUST KIDDING!
- Direct your subject towards the light source
- Your lightsource rules the way you pose your subject
- Watch for your lightsource. Know where it is at all times
- Beware of distracting elements in the picture. (trees growing out of the head)
- Instead of having a floppy newborn… have parents hold the baby, and then crop in really close. This way it’s not a flat lying down shot. ( look into a baby poser. ie bean bag)
- On an indoor photoshoot – have kids warm up by letting them jump on the bed. They will relax and realize you’re not all bad.
- Let the subjects eyes flow into the picture. They should not look out of the shot
- When shooting newborns: the earlier the better. They sleep more, and they are more move-able.
- Milestones to cover: newborn, 6 weeks, sitting up, and crawling
- Take the time to get to know the kids. They will not be naturally comfortable. Don’t take pictures right away, give them time to warm up.
- Talk to your subject… ALL THE TIME!
- Wide angle lenses give you more focus grace, telephoto or zooms have a greater drop off point.
- MOM’S LOVE EYELASHES
- Don’t rapidly move locations and expect to start shooting, kids need to feel comfortable in their environment. Give them a few minutes to look around
- Moms are good to have around. Children are comfortable with their parents, this translates to being comfortable around you.
- It’s ok to take a break, if the kids are starting to have a tough time.
- Let the child take the lead, choose the pose, have a toy etc
- Get away from the “cheese” face. Make them laugh. Tell a joke. Show them what you want
Inspirational Quotes
- “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”- Elbert Hubbard
- “There isn’t a single one of us who has overcome the human condition of self doubt” – Leo Babauta
- “Being heard is so close to being loved that, for the average person they are almost indistinguishable.” – David Augsburger
- “I believe everyone in the world loves me, they just don’t know it yet” – unknown
“Do you know what you are?
You are a marvel
You are unique
In all the years that have passed
there has never been another child like you”
Pablo Cosals
Phew, that’s it for me tonight, more to come later on this week :)
