My daughter’s last birthday was one to remember. We celebrated with dozens of family members and friends at my parent’s home in Hawaii and appropriately enough my daughter chose a “Lilo & Stitch” theme for her party. By the end of the night I had snapped more than 200 pictures (I know… snap happy parents unite) and once I had a chance to view the images, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out—-especially the ones that featured her blowing out her birthday candles.
If you are the parent of the birthday child you know how chaotic it can be trying to keep the party on track and work as the designated photographer as well. If you don’t feel comfortable designating someone else as the official party photographer or handing off some of the other party responsibilities then you might find the following tips helpful the next time you are looking to snap frameworthy shots at your child’s momentous event:
Cake and Candles
I have always been able to capture great shots of my child beaming over her well-lit birthday cake by turning off my flash. This is especially important if you are taking shots of a cake that is practically on fire due to the number of candles (or sparklers) sitting on top the sugary confection. Another tip: grip your camera friendly with two hands when you are shooting a lit cake. Either that or attach it to a tripod to prevent blurry shots.
Candid Shots
Birthdays (no matter who is celebrating) are times of high emotion. Have your camera near you at all times so you can capture candid shots of the tears (of joy, hopefully), the smiles, the screams, the hugs, and the large as saucer eyes that appear when your 4-year-old finds out that she got her dream bike.
Zoom
If you have large parties and find yourself at the back of the room when it’s time to sing “Happy Birthday” use your zoom. You want your subject to fill the frame—-doing so will give you a more dynamic composition. Other times your subject might shy away from the camera, in those cases it’s best to step back and use your zoom to capture natural facial expressions without making your subject uncomfortable.
Related Articles:
Knowing When to Zoom and Other Photo Tips
Getting Your Kids to Smile… for the Camera
More Tips On Photographing Newborn Babies
Photography Potpourri—-NO To “Cheese” and YES to Hats
Telling A Story With Your Shots
More Common Sense Tips To Capturing A Frame-Worthy Picture
Common Sense Tips To Capturing Frame-Worthy Pictures