A Cherry On Top Photography Blog

We were so excited to find warmer temperatures outside today.  We spent the majority of the afternoon playing at the park.

I get asked this question a lot by photographers:  “How do you take photos of a child in motion on a swing?”  My answer:  Set a high shutter speed and f-stop, then take about a gazillion images and hope for the best!  Seriously, that’s all I do.  I try to get them in focus, but it’s pretty much luck when I do.  I just toss out the ones that are blurry.  I usually get one out of five in focus.  My camera settings for these swinging shots ranged from f 4.0; SS 1/400; ISO 100 to f 8; SS 1/200; ISO 400.  I kept changing them.

She looks like she is just dangling here, but she was actually swinging pretty high!  She wasn’t sure what to think about the swings at first.

Abbey gets compliments on her long lashes all the time.  The lady who cleaned her teeth today said something about them, which is what inspired me to take this image…

Madison was in full motion here too, which is how I got the huge grin.  I can’t believe it’s in focus!

We were the only people at the park, except for the occasional jogger.  It was such a gorgeous day!  Where was everybody?

Madison likes to play with mulch, and eat it too.   She is easy to please.

Photography Tip: Look for open shade and set your subject just inside it, like so…

If they step outside the shade, you will get highlights or “blowouts” in some areas.  Notice the bottom of her sweater and pants.  You want to avoid this.

Please note: I am posting these images solely for teaching purposes!  I would never give images like this to a client!

This is another example of her stepping out into the sunlight.  Notice the un-even light falling across her face?  This is one of my worst nightmares when taking pictures.  It totally ruins an image for me.

The next photo is an example of color cast.  Notice that she looks like she might be the offspring of an Oompa Loompa in this photo?  That’s because the light is reflecting off of the slide and bouncing onto her face.  Again, just posting for teaching purposes…an example of what NOT to do!

I despise shooting in midday.  I avoid it whenever I can.  But she looked so cute munching away on her popcorn chicken in the stroller and the canopy provided a little bit of shade for us.

We went out again this evening and found some better lighting.  I love this image that Brian took of them in their matching outfits, looking at their shadows…

I want to take the girls back to this hill after the grass turns green!

This is one of the toys she picked out of the basket at the dentist’s office this afternoon.  It’s a sticky sun…

Whew!  That was a ton of pictures!

It’s supposed to be even WARMER tomorrow, so don’t expect to find us at home!

Edited to Add: I forgot to write about how to get creative angles while taking pics of kids swinging, but I found a post on one of my favorite blogs and she talks all about it!  Check it out HERE!  Also, I am very close to finishing up my FAQ’s for photographers page, so check back tomorrow!  It’s going to include photos of my studio and packaging, as well as the basic steps I go through to proof a session.

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Posted by Lacey under: Abbey, Babies, Kids, Madison, Tips for Photogs, Toddlers