Tips on Photographing Children by Carol M. Highsmith (Part 2)

Today, Gozaic continues its series of photography tips from Carol M. Highsmigh. Yesterday, we featured Part 1, Tips on Photographing Children.

Here are more great tips from Carol with examples she captured on the road in Alabama:

I'm traveling across America with the goal of photographing every state over the next 16 years for a project called 21st Century America. All of the images will be donated copyright-free to the Library of Congress.

Young children help their grandmother with a quilt in Gees Bend, Alabama.

It was a great opportunity to catch quilt making in Gees Bend. It was really great when the children arrived and wanted to help. What makes this image engaging is that the little boy looked at me with his beautiful eyes. Any time you can engage children in an image, it will be a success.

Easter time at the Three Georges Nut Shop in Mobile, Alabama.

This is another example of a child looking at me. The image needs to be taken just at the right moment. Chat with the child and keep clicking. If you take 30 images of the same scene, it might only be one that turns out, but that one could be an award winner. I wanted to show this historic interior, but did not want it to be just the stools and the counter. This baby doll showed up just in time!

Two darling children pose for me in a rural area in Jasper, Alabama. Laugh and talk to your subjects. Children especially need to be pulled into the scene. As I continued to push the shutter, I giggled and made faces. Look how much fun they had. I ended up with just the shot I wanted!

To Kill A Mockingbird Play in Monroeville, Alabama.

Every once in a while I get a very special opportunity. I was allowed to photograph the entire production of “To Kill A Mockingbird.” My finger never left the shutter the entire play. Because I had so much to choose from, I was able to capture this scene. I was so excited! What an experience.

Young baby girl at a fair in Monroe County, Alabama.

So go out and have fun taking photographs of children. Make sure to get a model release from their parents if you have any thoughts of using them online.

Join me next month for more news from my 21st Century America project. I’m working in Washington, D.C. next.

Carol M. Highsmith is a professional photographer who travels America to record everything she sees so that her collection can be archived in the Library of Congress. This is the first in a series of photography tips from Carol for the Gozaic blog.