One of the most challenging aspects of being a commercial photographer is taking quality photographs of children. While children make excellent subject matter for photographs, they can be difficult to capture for the photographer because of their short attention span and a natural tendency to act up in front of strangers.

Thanks to this, a commercial photographer needs to build a good rapport with the children in order to take some quality photographs. This is not always as easy as it sounds, and many excellent photographers have been left unable to build a strong relationship with their subjects where children are involved, resulting in disappointing photographs.

Here are some tips for building a rapport with children, thus allowing the photographer to capture excellent pictures.

Use props
It’s important to keep children amused in your studio. You should make liberal use of props for the photographs to keep them entertained. Props such as a rocking horse, child’s chair or a pedal car will not only keep the child’s attention, it will also add to the composition of the photograph.

Keep it light
To get the best out of your subjects you need them to like you and to be relaxed with you. There is little point barking orders at them and hoping they will understand and give you a natural pose. You will only end up with awkward looking photography which the parents are unlikely to want to purchase, no matter how strong your composition.

Move quickly
As children are noted for their short attention span, if you spend too long setting up the shot and the camera, you will lose their attention before it is time to attempt the shot. You need to set up the scene quickly and do not waste any time before attempting the photographs. The longer children are left waiting for you, the more likely they are to lose their concentration and become distracted. When children get bored, they don’t take very good pictures!

Attract their attention
This is often the hardest part when commercial photographers are photographing children. Whilst some children are naturally posers, others are naturally shy and avoid the camera. Not all children understand that they need to look at the camera, or at a fixed point, for the photograph to work. This is especially difficult when you are photographing more than one child at a time, because you can be sure that when one of them is paying attention, the other will be looking elsewhere.

To combat this you can use something to grab their attention when you’re ready to take the picture. Perhaps you could use a teddy bear, brightly coloured doll or a rattle for younger children? By keeping something like this behind your back, you can produce it to ensure that your subjects are looking when you come to take the shot.

Finally, remember that they are children and the photography session needs to be an enjoyable experience if they are to open up to you. By keeping an enjoyable atmosphere in the studio, a commercial photographer will be able to get the best out of the children on the day, and this will lead to some excellent photography.