Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/09

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Kid candids
From: "M.E.Berube" <MEB@goodphotos.com>
Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2000 11:52:19 -0500

At 11:42 AM 11/9/00 +0100, Alan Hull wrote:
>Have you ever noticed how quick a toddler can turn their head for
>instance?  I swear that from one position to another is just a blur,
>there is no in-between.  Fast shutter speeds and wide open lenses are
>not my normal style and I am really making a botch of capturing some
>unrepeatable situations.


Use your normal shutter speeds to your advantage. The blur helps show the 
kid's inherent state of being at that age. After a long enough session and 
with much patience they do eventually pause for a minute to recharge their 
batteries. Calm reflective portraits can be stolen then once they've become 
bored with you pointing a camera at them.

Use some faster film to allow a smaller stop and increase your DOF.
The wide angle (shorter/reduced image magnification) lenses can't hurt 
either, they WILL give you more focusing latitude and you can crop down 
only to what you need later. Perfect 'in camera' composition is really 
difficult with active kids and pets so don't feel pregnant about having a 
hard time. That's why good child/pet photographers are so difficult to find 
and cost a fortune. Patience like that is inhuman.

A holiday season at a Sears studio cured me of ever wanting to be a child 
photographer. For my own 2 and 3 year olds I generally use a Stylus Epic. 
When they aren't in constant motion (ie...asleep) I sometimes use the M5 to 
photograph them.

Carpe Luminem,
Michael E. Berube
http://www.goodphotos.com