Photography tips for parents-keep the background simple

I did a quick post on my facebook page and asked if any of you would be interested in getting tips on how to capture better images of your children. Many people said they would be interested. I'm a simple woman, and my illustrations will be simple but sometimes that is often what we forget. I also need you to help me and comment to let me know if this is helpful or "like" my fan page and tell me what else you would like to know.

My first lesson is keep the background simple. I know this is often easier said than done when you are trying to capture children, but less is more. I am going to use some recent pictures for illustration.

Ace-blue wagon

This wagon was an awesome color and really brought out his eyes. I also cropped in really close because I didn't want to show the parking lot in the background.



Kinley-white picket fence and ivy

I drove past this area and thought it would be an awesome background. This is along a greenbelt and this was someone's back fence with overgrown ivy. Again, this is a simple background, but it really added to the picture



Brooke-brick wall

I recently did a senior session. I used the side of my neighbors house. I used careful tilting of my camera to hide the air conditioner and other meters on the side of the house. When I converted it to black and white, it looks quite dramatic.



I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. Take advantage of the simple backgrounds where you are taking your pictures. There are times you want to convey what is going on, but there also ways to make it look like there is no one else around. I hope this helps!