Hints:
Paying more attention to the kids makes the situation worse. Never let parents help or negotiate for good behavior. You don't want to capture the going to McDonalds after smile you want an authentic look.
Create a story the child can get into and involved in. Drake was telling the boy he was photographing about how when he was little he was a little girl and his mom used to curl his long blonde hair. The kid sat up straighter, stretched out his neck and widened his eyes in anticipation of what was going to happen next in the story....genius. Also he said appearing idiotic will elicit the same response. He ha had a shoe balanced on his head during the little girls sessions. Her eyes were wide with wonder watching to see if her shoe would slide off his head or not. His assistant talked about a spider in her shower that morning, long dialogue about turning the lights on, opening the curtain, the kids were fascinated and watched her every move. Capturing real responses and the look of interest and intreague.
Lighting:
Uses a 3 light system.
Main light- can be the sun, can be the sun reflected off a reflector onto the subject, can be a light box This light is what illuminates the subject. Never put it straight overhead. Can put it at 90 degree angle from your subject, straight off to their side. Can angle it from behind a bit for a side profile shot, can use it at 45 degree angle in the front.
Fill light-Use reflectors to get fill light. White sheet on ground will reflect light up at your subject. White or silver on shady days, off to the side to bounce the light at the subject from a different angle than your main light. (Use white reflectors on the ground or white foam core boards propped up coming another direction from your main source.
Separation light- Throw light somewhere between your subject and the backdrop. Can use a reflector to put a light spot on one side of the subject on the background and use something to case a dark shadow on the other side of the subject thus creating contrast on the backdrop or background of the photo.
Lighting in Nature.
Main light- Often they use openings through the trees. Don't let the filtered light through the trees land on the subjects face though and make them look spotted. Have it land at their back and use it as a fill light source or the separation light. Use a reflector for the main light source to bounce the natural light from the sun back onto the subject if the sun is overhead. (like near noon) If it is noon you need the shade of a tree to work with so the top of everyone's heads are not white washed out. Don't have your subject up against a fence or right against the tree trunk you can't get a separation light in between the background and the subject.
Stand where your subject is going to be and consider the lighting. Don't always stay behind your camera looking on.
Shoot in the raw so you can change your white balance. He uses auto wb in portrait shoots.
You will almost always need reflectors in nature.
Tell stores to get the look!
Use their toes to tickle or eat as grapes, non threatening body part. Don't touch their faces. If using a stuffed animal make it into a story don't just have them look at the item.
Find a light source an use it in your favor. Move your subject is easier than moving the light.
Defaults:
100mm or 150mm lense
Shoot down on the child's eye level. Camera is level with the eyes of the subject
Aperture (f4) is default (f2.8 is common as well) You want their eyes, nose and chin in focus, their ears out of focus.
2 subjects (f8)
Always shoot on manual
Turn off overhead lights in home or studio.
Use natural light coming in through windows
Can turn subject away from the main light, then turn their face back toward the main light, (profile)
You want your backdrop to be half light/half shadow. Use reflectors to cast light or shadows
Shooting outdoor in low light 2.8F, 250 shutter speed, ISo 400
In studio 100 ISO
Trick: If you are on 2.8F and want to move up to 5.6 for 2 kids it is 6 clicks away you then adjust your shutter speed by 6 clicks as well and it gets rid of the math to figure out your aperture
If the sun is coming from above, noon day, put the camera on the ground and shoot up to cut out the headlight and eye cavity shadows.
Main light: large=soft
His go to is a 100MM lense
Get rid of the strong vertical and long horizontal lines.
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