Green Child Magazine Back-to-School 2014 | Page 50

First Day Photos

How to Capture Your Child’s Big Day
The photo experts at SmugMug – the largest independent photo-sharing site in the world –
have compiled a list of tips to make sure all the effort you put into the first-day-of-school photo
shoot results in the perfect snapshots to share with your friends and family. Or, as perfect as it
can be when you’re working with children. :)

Choose
the right
light.

Aim for natural light. Taking snapshots in the living room can turn out
dark and cast shadows across your child’s face. If you’re using a flash,
avoid getting too close or your child will look more like Casper the
Friendly Ghost than a fresh-faced kindergartner.

To keep the spotlight on the star of the photo shoot,
choose a neutral the background. Avoid positioning your child in front of
wild patterns or cluttered furniture, especially if you’re using props.

Zoom in.

In addition to a full head-to-toe shot, get a close-up of your child’s face,
so you can remember what he or she looked like during that time of
life.

Don’t stress if Junior spills his milk on his just-pressed slacks or if Suzie
rips the bow out of her hair. Sometimes the unplanned messes make for
the most fun pictures and memories

Have
fun.
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Keep it
neutral.

Don’t
cry over
spilled
milk.

It might seem like a no-brainer, but have fun. Talk to
your child during the photo shoot to capture natural
reactions, like laughter, smiles and, yes, even, a frown that you’ll laugh about