Inspiration: “Get Down On Their Level!”

Written by: Corey from Living and Loving





Parents love taking photos of their kids. That is a fact. Everywhere I look, I see photo after photo of children. Children playing, children eating, children sleeping....etc. The question is....What makes a photograph more than just a snapshot?

Why do some photos just look like someone pulled the camera up and pressed the shutter, and some look like you are almost there...as if you could reach out and touch the child?

I find that most people stand a good distance from their subject, lift the camera to their face and start snapping. In my opinion, these photos capture the scene, but fail to really capture the moment. I like to move in close, get down at their level, and step right into their world.

Here is an example:

This first photo is a typical shot I have seen. The child is sleeping on the couch...how sweet. So the parent stands there, and takes a quick snapshot.

As you can see.....there is hardly any focus on the subject here. There is so much in the photo. The couch, the child, the clutter....nothing truly stands out as the most important aspect of the photo, right? It is flat, and uninteresting.

The first thing you can do to make this a better photo is to simply move closer.

It's up to you whether you want to move with your feet, or with your zoom, but just move in closer. Fill your frame with the subject of your desire. You don't want to capture the couch....you want the memory of your child sleeping. So move those feet, or press that zoom, and fill your frame.

Much better, yes? However, that darn pink pajama is distracting isn't it? Why would you leave it there? Do you want it competing for the viewers eye? Just remove it if possible.

If you want to take this photo a step further, you can simply get down at the level of the child. This brings the photo into the child's world. You are not looking down on her sleeping, you are right there with her while she sleeps. To achieve this, simply squat or kneel.

Do you see it? Can you see the difference in the three photos? If it isn't feeling very clear, just take some time to try it on your own. Take the photo the way you normally would. Then remember what I said, "Move closer, and get down at their level", and see if you get a different result.

Here is another example:

The first two photos here are the typical snapshot. Lots of clutter around the child, with little focus on her. The angle is slightly looking down on her.

Now....move closer.

Not bad. The focus of the photo is clearly the child who is painting, but it is still lacking some feeling....some emotion. Let's trying stepping into her world. Let's squat down and take the photo at her level, and see what happens.

There we go....see how we can see more of her face. It is almost like we are right there painting with her. Note that the background is a little fuzzy. This is ideal. It can't always be achieved with a point and shoot camera, but you can try. The best way to blur the background in a photo like this is to use your zoom instead of moving closer. If you zoom in on the child, the background will be out of focus making the child stand out more.

Now you may want to try moving around the child to find different perspectives.

Taking photos from several different positions often tells the story more clearly.

What do you think? Are you seeing it? Are you recognizing anything that you might do to change how you photograph your child? Can you move closer? Can you get down at their level?

I know you can. I believe that these two simple steps can make a world of difference in your photos, just as it did mine.

Go on.......try it.

***I first wrote this Tutorial back in January of 2008. It's so fun for me to see how much my photography has improved since then.***

Corey finds herself blissfully caught between mothering her adored Sugar Bear, and her budding passion for photography. You can find her Living and Loving Every Minute Of It over at her blog, where she strives to share her joy in just being… Corey.

Angie & Amy
I ♥ Faces Co-Founders