Get down with the kids. When photographing smaller children you will get much better results if you get down to their level. Always looking down on them means that the pics often appear to be from an adult’s viewpoint, so therefore don’t have the feeling of intimacy that you will get from taking the photographs at […]
One of Britain’s best loved crime writers has just died, at the age of 85. I photographed a series of writers in the early 80’s and the photograph I did of her has always been a favourite of mine.
Looking for the light. Your camera is a tool for capturing light and you should train yourself to be sensitive to its many varying qualities. The soft light from a window on an overcast day will create a very different mood from the harsh light of noon-day sun. Landscape photographers often take their pictures in […]
Up close and personal Including too much in the picture is a common fault with many holiday and family snaps. If you want to have really personal shots of your child, you should try getting in really close. A tightly framed head shot makes you concentrate on the eyes of your subject and gives a […]
Never say cheese: capturing a lovely smile Everyone loves a big, natural smile in a photograph but most parents find this difficult to capture. The fixed, unnatural grin is probably the most common fault that I see in photographs of children and the most difficult child for me to photograph is the one who has […]
No 1 – Camera at the ready “That would make a great picture”, words that never have to be spoken if you have your camera to hand. It is extremely important that you always have your camera ready to shoot, whether you are outside or in the house. Pictures of your children playing with their […]
We had a wonderful time visiting our old friends in the States again this year and we met some new ones. Thanks to all for the wonderful hospitality and we look forward to seeing you all again soon. Here are some of the pics:
A large part of my time (well Lesley’s really) on a photo shoot is spent trying to get children to smile naturally. Most parents obviously want to have photographs of their children smiling and looking happy. It is very seldom that we don’t get the cheerful pics that are required but often it is the […]
In the days when I photographed rock stars, friends would ask me what they were like. This was always a difficult question as usually I would be working under tight time restraints and the subjects, more often than not, didn’t like having their picture taken. It’s not really fair to make judgements under these conditions. […]
Over the years we have heard lots of different reasons for parents wanting to have their children photographed. Some like to do it as a one off, others every year to mark the passing of time, some as each new child comes along, or to capture the baby features before they turn into a toddler; […]
Ken Sharp is a (now retired) family portrait photographer. Follow Ken's blog for regular news and portrait photography tips.
