Sponsored Post: Denny Manufacturing's 5 Tips to Creating The Best Child Lifestyle Photos

April 29, 2014

By Laura Brauer

Want to take a picture that will stand out and capture the everyday essence of a child? Forget the conventional dressed up photos and aim toward lifestyle photography with your clients. By breaking out of the mold, you can create photos for your clients that will capture elements beyond the flash, creating a time capsule photo for the child and parent. We suggest utilizing these tips in your studio, where a child will be less distracted and where outfit or backdrop changes are easily accomplished. So grab some snacks, pump up the playtime tunes and follow these tips for capturing great children portraits:

1. Let them dress up
Costumes aren’t just for Halloween anymore. Ditch the Easter attire and have parents bring along their kids’ favorite “dress up” clothes. Are they character-themed? Even better. Dressing up will let kids’ personality shine through and parents can choose solid backdrops or themed backdrops to complement the costume.

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2. Have them bring along their “lovey”
Don’t know what a lovey is? It is the new popular term for that special object a child cannot live without (think Linus and his blanket). For an added homey feel to these photos, use a realistic Denny Mfg. roll up floor with a hardwood design. These neoprene floors provide a soft cushion surface, allowing children to roll around and play comfortably. With a homey feel and a lovey nearby, the shoot will go much easier!

3. Get them to play with their favorite toy(s)
Invite parents to bring along other favorite toys and capture every day playtime. Create the look of a home’s interior by adding a baseboard to the backdrop and floor setup. Next step? Let playtime begin and snap away.

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4. Mess it up a little
Some of the best pictures come about when children are happily being their messiest (hello, baby smiling and eating spaghetti, anyone?). Whether it’s a cake smash or painting at an easel, the smiles come a lot easier when we let kids be….well, kids. The child and the mess is the focus of this shot, so we recommend using a solid color polycloth backdrop (a washable, dryer safe backdrop available in a variety of colors) or, if looking for a high key backdrop, you can’t go wrong with the Denny Mfg. Photo White Vinyl (a water resistant backdrop that easily wipes clean).

5. Encourage parent participation!
Rather than bark orders, have the parents get into playtime with the children. You may be able to get a few parent/child photos to help sweeten your end results.

Denny Manufacturing Co., Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of backdrops, props and related studio accessories. Find out more about Denny Mfg.’s products at www.dennymfg.com and follow us on Facebook!