Childrens Shoot

If I am to be a freelance photographer I need to be able to photograph a wide range of images including child portraiture. I used my niece as a model to practice but need to consider better lighting on the face to really brighten it up so you can see more detail around the eyes. Softer lighting needs to be used to soften the child's face and need to be careful on where I focus. I was quite fortunate to photograph her as she is very photogenic and loves to pose in front of the camera. I have taught her to not be afraid in front of cameras, to stay very still and to pose how she feels comfortable. It's like having my own personal model that knows exactly what I want and knows how to act like a model in front of the camera. At the moment im teaching her to refine her hands, so bringing her fingers together so there not spaced out, how to hold her hair and whether to have eye contact with the camera or not. She does find it a bit confusing when I tell her not to look at the camera because she thinks she needs to look at it all the time for the image. She is still a child though and won't stay still in the same pose for long which really helps to manage my time with her to get what I want quickly, in a limited time.