Composition & Eye-Level Framing
Composition is the entire geometry of your image frame. Rather than thinking in flat two-dimensional terms, use foreground objects and background depth to build compelling portraits.
Get Down to Eye Level or Lower
The single most important compositional change you can make when photographing children is to get down to their eye level or lower.
Avoid standing over children while they look up at you. Sitting or lying flat on the grass brings you directly into their world. Looking slightly upward at a child isolates them cleanly against distant trees or sky, rather than framing them against the ground at their feet.
Varying Shooting Distance & Angles
Build visual variety into your sessions by shifting distance and perspective:
- Tight Portraits: Move in close with an 85mm prime lens for expressive headshots.
- Environmental Long Shots: Step 30 meters back with a 24mm or 35mm lens to make the child a tiny figure within a massive landscape.
- Top-Down Grass Shots: Have children lie flat on their backs on the lawn looking straight up at your camera for perfectly lit faces.