real life, real expressions

My little four year old does not really prefer to be in a picture. What I mean is that he doesn’t want me to take his picture. He doesn’t really want me to hold up my camera and try to get his attention. None of that. :) Now, I really would like pictures of my little four year old. But I want genuine smiles. I don’t want forced “you must obey” kind of smiles. So, I just try to capture real life through my lens. I just have my camera hanging around my neck and I don’t attempt to pose my little boy at this point in his life. I choose not to fight that battle. Instead I am committed to capturing the real smiles that come with his experiences in life. This picture was after he and Daddy had climbed to the top of a “snowy mountain” and he was the “king”. He was satisfied with his accomplishment and I simply captured that.

My settings for this shot below:
ISO – 100 (super bright in the snow and a sunny day)
shutter speed –  1/2500 second
aperture – F 2.5

My settings for this shot below:
ISO – 100
shutter speed –  1/1000 second (still bright, but he was in the shade on this shot)
aperture – F 2.5

My settings for this shot below: (same as previous shot)
ISO – 100
shutter speed –  1/1000 second (still bright, but he was in the shade on this shot)
aperture – F 2.5

Often when photographing my own children, I find it’s simplest and best to find some manual camera settings that work for the lighting and situation I’m in and then I just leave the settings and don’t change them much. It helps me to be present in the moment rather than focusing too much on my camera and there’s many times not even a need to change up my settings.

Snow can sometimes be tricky. It’s so bright and reflective. So, play around with your settings and see what works and what doesn’t. And be careful that your pictures aren’t overexposed (too bright!).