One of the delights in traveling internationally is interacting with children of many cultures. They are almost universally both shy and curious, and often in small villages in the Third World a visit from a foreigner is the highlight of their day. In most cases, they are happy to pose for pictures when coaxed with a friendly smile.
Sometimes, a small amount of money is expected as a gratuity. Over the past thirty years, so many tourists have snapped pictures of local people and then given small gifts or money in exchange that it has become the norm. I don’t mind paying for wonderful photographs. The kids I shoot allow me to have a wonderful experience interacting with them, and I love the images. Giving a small amount of money seems like a fair exchange. If I intend to submit the pictures to a stock agency, I make sure in advance that any remuneration includes the signing of a model release by a parent. Often, I will photograph children selling souvenirs, and the deal I make is that I will pay their asking price (which is always inflated at least 100% of the value of the item) if I can take pictures. This usually works, since they want to make a sale.
Effective Lighting
The best types of natural light that should be used for shooting children when outdoors are diffused daylight and low angled sunlight. Diffused light occurs when a cloud cover disperses sunlight similar to what a softbox does to a flash head in the studio. It is soft and shadowless, and it is always complimentary. If you happen to be shooting on a day in which the sun is overhead in a blue sky, harsh shadows and contrasty light look terrible. Avoid this like the plague. The eye sockets go dark, the nose and forehead will have an overexposed sheen, and the child often squints due to the bright sunlight.
Under these circumstances, ask the child (through an interpreter or with hand gestures) if he or she will move into the shade of a tree or building. This takes care of the problem. If you have a diffusion panel, it can be held above the child to soften the sunlight, enabling you to shoot in the open. The only problem is that large, unfamiliar objects might frighten small children and dissuade them from posing naturally. It’s important to remember that from their point of view, we are strange looking people with mysterious looking gadgets. Kids in tribal villages in remote parts of the world are entertained by our antics, but if we aren’t sensitive to their unworldliness, it is easy to make them feel uncomfortable or fearful.
The second type of natural light that can be used effectively is low angled sunlight. Early morning and late afternoon light when the sun is close to the horizon provides flattering, golden illumination that can be effective for either front, back or side lighting. If the sky is very clear, even this kind of light can cause a subject to squint, so I often ask the child to look away from the bright light. With a ninety degree turn, I get side lighting. With a one hundred and eighty degree turn, the child’s back is toward the sun and I take advantage of back lighting where the hair is brilliantly illuminated. I always expose for the skin tone such that the meter is not influenced by the highlights on the hair or the bright sky.
Lens Choice
I use medium telephotos for most of my portraits of children. My favorite focal lengths are between 100 and 200mm. Whenever possible, I use a tripod. Even though this inhibits spontaneity, it ensures that the images are sharp even at slower shutter speeds. In addition, a stable support enables me to gain additional depth of field by using a smaller lens aperture.
Once in a while I use a wide angle lens for portraits of children. It’s a unique approach and gives a very different kind of stylistic look. If I sense that the child being photographed feels comfortable with me, I will move in very close and take a full frame portrait with one of the wide angles. In these instances, it’s important to be aware of the background, because wide angles have a great deal of depth of field and the elements behind my young subject are definable and therefore must contribute to the composition. By contrast, a telephoto will simply render the background out of focus.
Spontaneous vs. Posed
One of the challenges in photographing children is capturing those wonderful moments when they are oblivious to the camera. Spontaneity is not easy to capture. You have to watch them through the viewfinder and wait for that special moment. If I miss a great shot, I never take my eye away from the viewfinder in disappointment or to tell a traveling companion what just happened. I keep watching, because another opportunity will most likely follow quickly.
Sometimes I’ll ask the kids to interact with each other, like playing a game or tickling each other. Often, I will see them acting with total abandon, but when I bring out my camera they stop and stand straight as arrows, posing. They don’t understand that I want that innocent and uninhibited play, so through an interpreter I ask them to continue what they were doing.
There are times, of course, when I want to capture a child’s face in a more thoughtful or pensive moment. Then, I move in close to fill the frame with the young face. I always focus on the eyes, no matter how shallow my depth of field is. With a tight close up, the background is almost irrelevant because it is thrown so far out of focus, so this kind of posed situation can be done virtually anywhere.
Never ask for a forced smile. It will look artificial, and you won’t be happy. There is nothing wrong with natural expressions, whether they be sorrow, anger, defiance, surprise, and so on. Smiles and laughter are great as long as they are natural.
Cultural Sensitivities
It’s important to be aware that certain cultures react to photography differently than we do. Always ask your guide, or a local tour operator, what you should know about local customs in this regard. Some cultures expect, and demand, money. Others don’t want to be photographed. In some countries, children, and especially young girls, have little autonomy to make decisions for themselves. For example, when I wanted to take pictures of young girls in India, I had to ask permission from their husband or father.
Never try to push a child into being photographed when he or she doesn’t want to. Very young children who have not been exposed to outsiders can be scared to death of strange looking foreigners who point large, metal and glass things in their direction. If you sense their discomfort, find another, more willing, subject.
Jim Zuckerman has been a photography educator for 40 years. You can see more of his work, as well as a listing of his ebooks, webinars, and photo tours at jimzuckerman.com.