My second piece of advice is all about lighting. Lots of times we take pictures right where the person is already situated. Instead, look around and choose the spot to take your photograph. Direct sunlight on your subject’s face is never good, so move them! Here is my son squinting….
The best kind of lighting is in shade. If you live in the Northwest you are in luck because cloudy days give you the most beautiful images. If you can’t get in the shade then shoot for backlighting, but this gets a little trickier with your run-of-the-mill point-and-shoot. The less sunlight, the better the camera will do on auto mode.
In this one, I just had him squat down and took the time to move myself and choose the background I liked - this old blue window - instead of the nasty sidewalk. You can still see the beautiful colors of the afternoon sun, and a lot of the tree. But he is more visible and, therefore, I know I will treasure this picture more than the first one.
Don’t just take a photograph anywhere. Go find the best background and lighting to make your picture something special! Good luck!
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Anna has a BFA in photography which she uses to run her own photography business and a little bit of insanity and OCD which she uses to run a household with three sons and one wonderful husband. Catch up with her at her family blog or her photography blog!
All photographs by Anna Rasmussen
