It’s birthday month in my family. It seems like every couple of days we celebrate another birthday. While most of these birthdays aren’t of little children anymore, it still makes me think of cute birthday parties from when we were growing up and the photos we’d (try to) take of the events.
I sometimes ended up being the photographer on those events. I won’t claim to have been a good photographer then, and the photos prove my lack of experience. There are cake pictures where the only thing visible is the candle flames. There are grainy photos, dark photos, and photos of lots of candle smoke.
So how do you take good birthday photos? Here are a few tips.
* Turn on the lights. Who says you have to turn out the lights when the cake candles are lit? I certainly don’t see why this has to be done, and your photos will probably thank you for it. When you control the lighting, you’re much more likely to have your photos turn out well. You’re also more likely to capture the birthday baby’s fabulous frosting face.
* Have the party during the day. It’s summer time, so it’s much easier to have the party during daylight hours. Also, if it’s a children’s party, daytime may be more appropriate anyway. This way you have lots of natural light and you’ll be a lot less likely to end up with grainy shots. You’ll even be able to see the child behind the lit-up cake!
* If you’re having a crazy kid party, try taking some of the photos right before everything gets started. Take photos of the decorations, the cake, and even the birthday child before friends and family arrive. That way you’ve got some of the basic photos done and you can concentrate on fun candid shots without stressing over mysterious fingerprints in the cake or torn party hats.
No matter what your birthday parties look like, some of these tips may help you have a relaxing and fun photo-filled birthday celebration.