Questions on how to shoot a 3y/o's B-day party

[OTRphoto]

Hi all >:o)

I'm not doing this photography thing professionally, but the more I shot the more I seem to try to get my pics of a quality that I can use them in a portfolio later if I ever do decide to go that path...

So this Saturday is my little neice's 3rd birthday party here in San Antonio. It's at a place called Inflatable Wonderland in Rolling Oaks Mall. I'd like to "step-up" and get some better than average/better than snapshots pics of her and the other kids.

The place seems to just be an open storefront with a bunch of inflatable jumping things inside. It doesn't look like a real "pretty" place... so I'm kinda stumped of what to shoot other than just general pics of the kids interacting..

If anybody can pass along any suggestions or tips on this - I'd greatly appreciate it!!!

THANKS!

Mel

[OTRphoto]

Any ideas?

[laawaaris]

i once shot a 2-year old's birthday party and it was an absolute blast !!!

i took the photos and the mom absolutely loved them, but really it was hard to get a bad photo

the main thing i learned you have to be very prepared to spring your camera at a moments notice - a little more so than other events like weddings

the 3-year old will likely run around left and right and play with her friends like crazy ... those are the moments that are the best to photograph because you will get real candid opportunities that you wouldn't get otherwise

also because of her age and the large number of people, you may not have much chance to pose the baby girl, but you can simply ask her mom/dad/grandma to pick her up or hold her and photograph her then

another tip is to keep your camera at your hip ... because she is 3-years old you will kill yourself trying to crouch down to her level ... keep your camera at your hip and open it to 18-24mm focal length and just point it down at her ... i was surprised that i got some really interesting shots that way

i will post some of my photos that i took from the birthday party, but i'll have to do so when i get home tonight

[my3peas]

maybe you could take the kids outside and get silly pics of them? maybe do that picture booth idea?

These establishments seem hard to shoot, at least for me. High ceilings and little to bounce light off of, which end up giving snapshotty results (Again, in my case). They usually have a little party room, which I think you could get some great shots of the birthday girl and her lit candles.

Wish I could help more! Good luck!

[OTRphoto]

Rajat - Thanks for the offer of some othr stuff to look at!! I think that is kinda what I need.. something to kick start the 'creative process'...

Christie - I could only wish that any of my kids pics could turn out as cute as any of yours!!! I have been practicing on my 22m/o grandson and have been doing ok... But still need lots of work... But come this Oct I'll have another lil grandson to have more practice with >:o)

Thanks for the tips!!!!

Mel

[my3peas]

Awe, mel! Thanks so much for the compliment! I still feel like I have so far to go and so much to learn :) I'm humbled :)

Congrats on the up and coming grandson!! I love babies!

[robert guillemette]

make sure to get down on their level to shot also

[GeoffreyB]

Since I shoot my 2 and 4 year old a LOT.. here are a few I've learned:

Shoot from THEIR eye level often- you get interesting perspectives, and not so many shots where the background is the floor.

Take the fastest glass you can, shoot at a wide-open apature and the fastest shutter your ISO level can handle. The limited depth of field will make even an ugly background look good without pulling attention from the subject. I'll often shoot manual, and turn the flash intensity down and use it for a fill.

Keep your camera aimed and ready, be patient watching the kids...then shoot like mad when you get "that" look or interaction.

Hope that helps.

[laawaaris]

hey mel, you can visit http://www.trick-photography.com/ria to view some of the pictures from the little girls birthday party that I did

the pictures are decent, but there are a handful that are really cute

i took the handful of cute photos and made something special for the mom below ....

[corazondedios]

I shot a birthday party of a 5 year old where about 150 people came. I had a helluva good time. You catch the moment. get a good flash, use auto if you've got it, and chase kids and capture the excitement. I got some truly amazing shots out of that shoot. Here is one of my favorites:

there was pinata bashing and all kinds of insane actions. the age of participants ranged from 8 months to 80+ years old. Capturing the heart is really what its about. Everyone loves the pictures. It's not a wedding. Its an action movie with cake crumbs and wrapping paper!

Here's a bunch of shots -- they are not well focused or properly lit -- I'm no professional, but a lil kid's birthday party is about fun and action and heart. That, I did get.


grandma and her baby girl


Daddy's lil gurl

[img]http://highlandgodz.com/highlandgodz_images/savanna%27s%20b-day%20edits%20031.jpg[img]
it helps when the birthday girl is the cutest thing on the planet


aaaaaaaaaaw


blurs are fine. it's the excitement of opening presents that counts.


brutalizing Cindarella is apparently OK at 5 year old birthday parties.

anyway, I had a lot of fun at that party. And so did everyone else.

the main thing is to GET THE BIRTHDAY KID'S FACE IN FOCUS AT LEAST 6 TIMES

get a lot of shots of the interaction. It's not hard to come up with gems at moments like these. With three year olds, its even more insane. If you can, have someone good with a video camera to back you up. People don't care about professional at these times. They want fun.

[tc82742]

can you use the storefront glass?
take an image from outside of all the kids doing the smooshface on the glass inside??
that would be really cute and memorable.

[corazondedios]

glass and little kids is not a particularly good combination, especially when they are running around like maniacs screaming in wild abandon.

but, yeah, it would make a cool shot. might be more memorable than anyone wants if you're not careful.

[tc82742]

hm.. we took some today at chik fil a with a ton of kids.
no injuries.
once you do it, they mimick you.

[corazondedios]

if the glass is strong, go for it. As long as the store managers don't care and the kids aren't too wild, it would be a great shot for sure.

I'm a mom of four kids and I've taken care of large groups of kids for 22 years, so I am apt to err on the side of caution. It's the paranoid mom in me!

[JbVenable]

Thatd be a real good shot. With lil kids the possibilities are endless.