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Wednesday, September 5, 2007
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   Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Photography Business: Taking Baby Photos - for Professionals & Families
Photography Business: Taking Baby Photos - for Professionals & Families Copyright 2005 Roy Barker
Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.
They are the best for two reasons, people are more tolerant
at looking at baby photos, as well as the fact that babies
are not aware their image is being captured, and therefore
they do not tend to put on the "camera face" so typically
used by elder children and adults. They are the worst
subjects because their behaviour is unpredictable. Because their behaviour is uncensored, they show their emotions, and can just as easily cry as gurgle happily into the camera.
One of the most challenging aspects of photographing a baby
is to control the subject. On the one hand you want them relatively still, but too much control and the photo loses its impetuousness. Lighting and background are both important, you want the background as uncluttered and simple as possible if the photograph is indoors, or as natural as possible outside, a piece of grass is ideal. The lighting should be coming from at least two directional sources, but if it is too strong it will throw shadows that complicate the picture, and often lose the wonderful facial expressions it is possible to capture. However don't miss those impromptu shots either especially with a digital camera, you can always edit the background later.
It is usually helpful to restrict babies' activities; they
are not portrayed at their best nappy high in the air
crawling across the floor. A good way to restrict them is a highchair, or holding them in the arms of another person. Baby photography is often better taken very close up, and it is a wise move to look at the manual for your camera, and see how close you can get. It is better to get everything set up first, and then place the baby in position when the lighting and setting have been chosen. However that of course is not always possible.
Distractions in the form of noise, and toys can be a tool,
but never forget that a baby's emotion's are always
lightning fast, and it all makes for great photographs,
whether it is tears of frustration, pouring a drink over
your best camera, or laughing.
They are often easier to photograph when there is a minimum
of people around because they are so easily distracted. The
old school of thought was keep the mother well out of the
way, however I personally can't see any mileage in that, as babies are calmer with someone they know, and in most cases that is the mother. Above all remember that photographing babies is fun, the unexpected if caught at just the right moment, makes great memories. Although I doubt if a father who has just picked up their offspring for a photograph will forget the time that their child was sick all over them. Control can only go so far with babies.
Babies are babies for short a period of time, you can never have too many photographs, and here a digital camera can save enormous amounts on both film and development. It also allows for wastage as you can view the results immediately and can the ones you don't want. You will have huge embarrassment value in later life showing your daughter's first boyfriend her as a baby with no nappy! Another enormous advantage to digital photography is that you don't have to shoot the photograph with a little black box in front of your face. This will catch a baby's emotions perfectly, but is not the best way to capture their best expressions. A small child will respond better when they respond to your expressions. By being able to hold the camera away from your face you have a chance to capture the best of their expressions as well; an LCD screen generally reaps huge benefits.
Another misunderstood statement is that the best
photographs are taken by professionals, whilst there is no denying that professional take great formal photographs, and every baby should have at least one set to keep as an adult. It is hard to beat the formal professional photo. Some professionals offer annual sittings for family shots and supply regular updated montages specific to that family. A service that is hard to beat. However this formal stylised pose isn't always the answer, somehow, because children are not camera aware, they are not camera shy. Young babies are sometimes better photographed in an environment that they are entirely comfortable with and that place is often their own home or the garden. The great thing about photographing your own child is that it does not need any special equipment, special effects, or even any really special effort, and it certainly does not involve trailing somewhere in the middle of the night to capture a beautiful dawn. A point and shoot will work wonders.
Probably the most important technical point to remember
when photographing a baby is that because of their size,
you have to get down to their height to get that wonderful
close- up. The easiest way and least dangerous way is to physically get down on the floor with them, not necessarily the most dignified way, but certainly the most rewarding. There are no imperfections in a babies face, you can get as close as you can without showing crow's feet! You cannot engineer this type of photography it has to happen, but you can be creative in your approach and let the baby respond to you, because it has no knowledge of how to respond to the camera.
With a very young baby still in its crib, there is very
little option, but to shoot from the above, unless you want
the baby to look as though it is captured in a wooden box,
but it is an approach to be avoided if at all possible.
You have more opportunities to photograph babies in more settings than at almost any other age. After all you don't photograph your mother on the toilet. Few props are useful with babies, but baths and potty's are great because they are both tools that they are familiar with and with a little patience they can be put to great effect regarding play. Surely you can put up with getting a little damp at
bath- time, but of course try and remember to make sure the potty is empty! Above all remember that it fun and relaxed, you will never have the opportunity to have so many natural photos again. Enter into the spirit of it and you will be amply rewarded. Another great "prop" to use if you have one is the family pet, providing it is not intimidating to the baby.
There is no fun at all in photographing someone screaming
the house down in fear. Whilst every parent should have at least one set of professional photos taken, don't rely on someone else to capture those truly enchanting moments, especially at momentous milestones. If it is your child's first birthday they will reward you with better photographs if you take them yourself. Get someone else (professional) to do it on a less important day.
The professional would do well to keep a file for the
parents and offer services such as a montage on the childs
or childrens yearly progress (updated every year). There is great value in personalisation and there is an abundance of software available to help you organise this service.

----------------------------------------------------
Publisher & author: Roy Barker. Roy is the author of the popular ebook, Income from Photography - a downloadable ebook which guides the reader on how to start up and market a Profitable Photography business. It can be viewed at http://www.profitable-photography.com. Other related and reviewed services & research sources can be found at http://www.profitable-photography.com/html/117/


Life After Television: Teaching Our Children to Play Again
Life After Television: Teaching Our Children to Play Again
By Lisa Workman

Studies have made the news again regarding television and our
children. What are they saying? Too much television is not good for
our kids. The very presence of a television in your child's room can be a determining factor in how well your kids do academically.
Kids today are continuing to be "plugged in."
What is the solution? Limit television viewing. Move the TV out of
you kids' rooms. Be involved in what they are watching.
Okay. We move the television into a common and give our kids time
limits. Now what? A comment I hear often when people ask me about
the Tokens for TV program is what do my kids do now? Our kids are so
used to being plugged in they don't know what to do. They're bored.
It doesn't matter if your children are 6 or 16, the answer is the
same. It's time to teach our kids how to play again. Having a time for quiet and play are important life skills. How else will
their imagination start working on its own again?
Start with the following ideas to help your kids in their unplugged
play:
=> Play a game. Dig out your board games. Checkers, Chess, Monopoly
and Sorry! are all great games.

=> Dig out the playing cards. Go Fish, Old Maid, War… There are even other specific card games such as Uno out there. You can also
teach your children how to play solitaire.

=> Be a bookworm. Go to the library in your home or your community.
Scour the thrift shops and yard sales. Be a part of a book exchange.
There are also some great audio books available at the library. You
can also purchase audio books at thrift stores, department stores
and online.

=> Hands-on fun. Bring out the clay or play dough. Your teenagers
may roll their eyes at this one too, but you would be surprised at
how they will sit down and keep themselves entertained with this one. (And you don't have to go out and buy your dough – have them help you make a batch. A recipe is included below.)

=> Build something. LEGO's, Lincoln Logs and K'nex. How many
of our kids still have these in the back of their closet? Don't have these construction pieces? Try creating structures using
toothpicks and connecting them together with green peas. Sounds
funny, but it works! As the structures dry they become sturdier and
you can keep them around for awhile.

=> Go outdoors. Outdoor games like marbles, jacks, hopscotch not
only occupy your kids, they will also strengthen coordination
skills. Too hot or cold out? The garage, basement and/or kitchen
floors will work fine too.
=> Become an outdoor artist. Buy a tub of colored chalk from the
local discount store and give your kids a theme to create their own
masterpieces on your front or back sidewalks. Take pictures of them
for your family album.

Are these new ideas? Of course not. But when our kids are given a
choice of any of these "offline" activities or the chance to plug in to their TV or games, what are they going to choose? When
you unplug your kids, they will learn how to play again simply
because they have nothing else to do. They will find other
activities to keep themselves entertained.

Be prepared for a little bit of whining or frustration on your kids' part. It's normal. It's so much easier to sit in front of a screen with mindless entertainment. It won't take long
and your kids will be able to find other things to do instead of
plugging in and tuning the world out.
* * * * * * *
There are many variations of homemade play dough. The Internet or
any kid's craft book are great resources if you would like more
ideas. There are edible versions as well (less clean up!). The
following recipe contains items commonly found in most kitchens.

UNCOOKED SALT DOUGH

Ingredients:
3 cups of flour
1/4 cup of salt
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
1 cup of water
food coloring (liquid is best)

Instructions:
1. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Add water and oil slowly.
3. Add desired amount of food coloring.
4. Store dough in air tight container.

Add water (a little at a time) if dough is too stiff. If dough is
too sticky, add more flour.
* * * * * * *
Lisa Workman is the author of Tokens for TV: A Sensible Approach to
Balancing Television, Video Game and Computer Activities. How much
time does your child spend "plugged in" to some sort of electronic device? Get your FREE worksheet at www.tvtokens.com.


Lemon Tetra - A Perfect addition for your Community Aquarium
Lemon Tetra
Glassily transparent, the lemon tetra (hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis) could appear to be just a sunbeam flashing through your community tank if not for background elements like plants and driftwood. Another member of the large characin clan, the lemon tetra has a fairly elongated body like its smaller relative the neon tetra and like neons and other characins, the lemon tetra does best if kept in small schools of six to eight fish.
One of the most distinguishing features of the lemon tetra is their large eyes. The upper part of the lemon tetra's eye is brilliant red, which is a sharp contrast to the yellow pastels it displays in its body colors. Actually, though, the lemon tetra is quite colorful on close inspection. Body coloring is a delicate pale yellow, flanks are silver, and the leading edge of the anal fin is shiny-bright-yellow and sharply divided from the other rays, which are black. In the male, the rest of the anal fin is broad and fringed in black, a characteristic that is missing in the plumper female. As many male characins do, the male lemon tetras also have tiny hooks on their anal fins. Both males and females have the tetras' characteristic adipose fin, which is also pale yellow in color.
Although omnivorous and able to exist on a diet of flaked food, the pale yellow color of the lemon tetra displays best if the fish's standard diet is well supplemented with live treats. The lemon tetra is an egg-scatterer. However, breeding can be tricky since females often have a problem expelling their eggs and after spawning, the lemon tetra like many others of its species, is quick to cannibalize its eggs if not removed from the breeding tank. However, eggs will hatch in about 24 hours after spawning. Fry should be fed a live diet and if they survive, they'll be about two inches long as adults.

About The Author:

Hans is author of
Tetra Fish and Cichilds  sections on
aquarium-guides.com For more
reviews visit our site.