Northamptonshire

Never Work With Children…

Posted on 3rd February 2016 by The Helpful Hiker

Me and Finn popped out for a quick stroll around our old favourite Summer Leys last week . We needed some fresh air and I wanted to practise my photography skills.

I managed to get a few nice pics, I was particularly pleased with this one of the birds. I’m not sure that the photo does it justice, you can just make out more flocks in the distance. I wish I knew what sort of birds they were, there were lots of birdwatchers out and I was a little jealous of their long distance lenses!

My Winterwatch moment!

I also wanted to get some nice shots of Finn. I read lots of other blogs and so many have lovely photos of children and babies, all looking angelic and well behaved. I thought ‘I can do that’.

I took a few of Finn on this bench and eventually got a couple I was happy with. What this photo doesn’t show is how long it took to get him to stay still. At this angle, it also doesn’t show the biscuit I had to use to stop him escaping!

My first attempt at baby portrait photography

I’m hoping to get better, so would be grateful for any tips! Just how do you get decent photos when you have the world’s most fidgety child?

Lisa (Travel Loving Family) February 03, at 14:54

Ha ha I don’t know but when you find out please pass on the tip!! #WhatevertheWeather
- TheHelpfulHiker February 03, at 15:37
  
  I think it basically involves a lot of biscuits! If I find a better way I’ll let you know 😉
Jenny Eaves February 08, at 14:01

They are great photos! I think most people who are taking photos of young children will agree with me, just take lots and lots of photos and hopefully you’ll get one or two nice ones where they aren’t blurred or have a buzz are expression! My two rarely sit still, so I either distract them with something they are interested in, ‘ooh look at the plane/boat/bird’ keeps them still for a few seconds while I can snap a photo. If I make faces and say silly things or ask them to say things like ‘cheesey jelly’ then they tend to stay still giggling to get a photo. When they are on the move I race ahead and then bend down to try and get a photo. It’s hard work though and I have thousands of photos that are the same or blurred that I really need to delete!
Thanks so much for linking up to #Whatevertheweather 🙂 x
- TheHelpfulHiker February 08, at 19:38
  
  Thanks for the tips! I can barely keep up with one, it must be a real work out with two-all good fun though 🙂
chloelifeunexpected February 08, at 21:39

Awwww these are so cute!!! Our daughter isn’t very fidgety at all which is great for photos. But I also find that setting my camera shutter speed quite high helps to capture motion perfectly so if she is a bit fidgety, the picture still isn’t blurry. Your photos are so, so beautiful though! I especially love the one of the birds too. You chose such a gorgeous day to go out. Thank you so much for sharing with #whatevertheweather
- TheHelpfulHiker February 08, at 21:56
  
  Thanks, I’m definitely getting better at photography, shall take your advice next time 🙂
Lizz Riley March 04, at 13:10

Love this. The trick with getting a great picture of kids is never to take your own!! We get great images of other people’s kids but our own drive us completely mad. We got some gorgeous serene images of our children during a photoshoot but we also got a mad ‘as it happens’ image. It reflects the true carnage of photographing your own kids!
- TheHelpfulHiker March 05, at 13:01
  
  Ha so true! I think I will have to make do with lots of ‘action’ shots for now, there is nothing serene about Finn!