7 Ways to Create Memories with Your Digital Camera

It’s no surprise that I love taking pictures, I was raised by a photographer. My father was always taking pictures, so the most natural thing for me was to actually get behind one. He bought me my first SLR when I was in high school and I’ve been in love with the craft ever since. I even contemplated going to photography school. I wound up settling for a couple of classes instead. Somewhere along the line I put the camera down. I guess life just got in the way.

All of that changed when we had kids. We purchased our first snap and shoot digital camera when we had our daughter and it was then I started craving more than just a simple snap shot. After my son was born I invested in a DSLR and I haven’t put it down. I mean that literally. It really does sit at my bedside when we go to bed.

So with this new camera I started searching for ways to capture those special moments. I craved those magical candid shots and avoided stiff posed pictures. I loved to capture my children as they played and even when they cried. As a mother I cherish every picture and every memory, so keeping a record was and has become extremely important.

Being that this May is National Photography Month I thought it would be fun to share some of the techniques I learned to capture those magic moments and stretch your creativity to different lengths.

Here are 7 quick tips to capture the Moment instead of the snapshot with your digital SLR or point and shoot camera.

Focus on the eyes – This is one of the most important techniques to remember. Focusing on the eyes draws people into the story that you are trying to capture.

Focus on the details – When taking pictures during the holidays or a birthday party take pictures of everything, including the cake and the balloons. Capture the feelings and emotions of the day. Think about the table before a Thanksgiving feast or the baby with cake in her hair.

The rule of thirds – Try to avoid placing your subject in the middle of the frame. If your subject is looking away – show us what they are looking at. For more information on the Rule of Thirds visit the Digital Photography School.
 
Focus on emotion – Some people wait for the perfect smile to appear before taking their shot and often time miss the moment. Capturing your child’s personality is more than just taking the perfect portrait. Get pictures of them when they are sad, crying, happy and silly. You will love having the memories to look at later. If you are dealing with an uncooperative child get silly with them.  Sometimes just saying the word, “fart,” or “do you smell that?” can get a child to open up. If that doesn’t work give them something to do, whether its playing with a guitar or their favorite toy.

Be spontaneous – The reason why I carry my camera everywhere I go is because you never know when that stunning shot will come or when your child will do something amazing or funny. Candid shots bring the personality out of everyone.

Change your perspective – There is no rule that says you have to take pictures head on and straight. Try different angles, for babies get down low to their eye level or shoot from above to capture them looking up.  A slight camera tilt can easily change the emotion of a photograph. If your child is a little apprehensive of the camera back off and zoom in, it’s amazing what you can capture when you child doesn’t know you are there.

Learn the functions of your camera – When I first purchased my DSLR it didn’t take long for me to want to buy a better model because I was frustrated with the images I was trying to capture. Once I started to utilize the manual settings and other functions of the camera I started to really love my current camera and can now invest the money into better quality lenses. If you feel like you’re always missing the moment try using the continuous shooting method on your camera. I have gotten into the habit of taking three shots for each pose or moment. Learn how to lock the focus on your camera especially when shooting active children. Once you have the lens in focus, lock it so if your child moves it won’t activate the autofocus.

Have fun – Taking pictures and capturing those special moments of your child is supposed to be fun. Don’t worry if their hair is messy, their shirt is dirty or they aren’t smiling because often times those will be your favorite pictures out of the bunch.

When I was growing up we always had a “coach” telling us how to pose or how to smile when it came to family portraits, and you can tell they were posed. To this day I struggle with self portraits. Capturing life is way more important then getting that perfect smile.

If you are interested in learning more about photography check out my post Photography Books that Should be on every Photographer’s Bookshelf, where we list several great photography books and e-books. Erin Manning provided some great tips on capturing the holidays last year. You can also check out PMA’s (Photo Marketing Association) ramped up website Take Great Pictures.