Image of the Week: Ashton and Whitney, Citronelle, Alabama

If photographing adults is difficult, then shooting kids is nearly impossible.

It's hard to plunk a camera down in front of an adult without having them freeze up. All too often you end up with the "Senior Portrait" smile or, even worse, the dreaded "Deer in Headlights." The antidote is to build a rapport with your subject: tell a joke, make small talk, discuss their hobbies. Get to know them, even just a little bit. You may waste a little film in the beginning when you catch them talking (not much of an issue if you're shooting digital), but eventually they will relax and open up to the camera.

Kids are a horse of a different color. They can be shy, extroverted, energetic, and reticent all within the space of five minutes. They move fast, and you better keep up. I find it helps to dial in the exposure beforehand and prefocus the lens, because spending time fiddling with camera settings while the kids are afoot will result in a lot of missed opportunities.

Have questions, comments? Let me know what you think.

Technical Data

Ashton and Whitney, Citronelle, Alabama was photographed with a Hasselblad 500C/M and a Carl Zeiss T* 80mm ƒ/2.8 lens on Kodak TMAX 100 Professional Film. The exposure was handheld at 1/60 sec at ƒ/5.6.

Other Images of the Week

Moonrise and Abandoned Trailers, Anza-Borrego Desert, California UVM Mallory, Morgan Horse Farm, Weybridge, Vermont, Palladium Print Abandoned Cabin, Anza-Borrego Desert, California Melissa and Parker, Columbia, South Carolina Old Stone Row in Winter, Middlebury, Vermont Worth Mountain Ski Lift in a Snowstorm, Middlebury College Snow Bowl, Green Mountains, Vermont Farmer and Pilot Ed Peet, Cornwall, Vermont
Birches, Middlebury, Vermont Mountain Palm Springs, Anza-Borrego Desert, California Bullseye, Citronelle, Alabama Lunging UVM Orlando, Morgan Horse Farm, Weybridge, Vermont Barns IV, Middlebury, Vermont Fallen Tree in the Creek, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Blacksmith Lee Beckwith, Weybridge, Vermont
Snow Angel, Middlebury, Vermont Slack Line, Middlebury, Vermont Coffee Splash Barns III, Middlebury, Vermont Beulah in the Carrizo Badlands, Anza-Borrego Desert, California Chapel of the Transfiguration, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Cross-Country Runner Alexandra Krieg, Middlebury, Vermont
Horse Bath, Morgan Horse Farm, Weybridge, Vermont Whitney, Citronelle, Alabama The North Window from Turret Arch, Arches National Park, Utah Jeff, Middlebury College, Vermont Hostas II, Middlebury, Vermont Hikers in Coyote Gulch I, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah Ocotillo Shadow, Abandoned Cabin, Anza-Borrego State Park, California
Moonlit Palms, Anza-Borrego State Park, California Park Avenue, Arches National Park, Utah Ashton and Whitney, Citronelle, Alabama Steven Halladay Road III Fall colors and ivy-covered wall, Middlebury College, Vermont Maple Tree, Middlebury, Vermont
Jesse Hamner at Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone NP Aon Center from Millenium Park, Chicago Mountain Biking I Boulders II, Canyonlands National Park, Utah Hosta Leaves Joe The Pour
Skylar

Ashton and Whitney, Citronelle, Alabama. Click on image to view larger.

Purchase a Fine Art Photographic Print

Ashton and Whitney, Citronelle, Alabama is available as an 11"x11" Print, matted to fit an 16"x20" frame. Each print is signed and numbered by the photographer. Only 100 prints will be made, so order early to secure your piece.