Calling all experienced kid photogs

[m_mphotography]

I have a huge favor to ask...will you share some of your secrets to getting tack sharp pics of kids on the loose, I mean toddlers and preschoolers--you know, the ones that hate the camera, and run away from you at all costs. I've been experimenting a little bit with my kids (who are exactly at this stage) and am findnig myself leaning more towards shooting no more opened up that f/4.5 and no slower than 1/80s. I love shallow DoF in my photos, but i find that it is nearly impossible to shoot a child at f/1.8 or f/2 since any movement on their part outside my DoF will throw it out of focus, and that DoF is TOO shallow. So, what do you do?? Also, any tricks you can share on keeping a steady hand. i am finding that my pics have too much camera shake....:(

thanks in advance.

[kenw]

to some it is heresy, but for things that move, including small random kids, I use shutter priority at 1/125 or 1/180 if i can get the light. This way it will get the DoF it needs, but it will definitely freeze the lil' buggers.....If you find the resulting DoF is too shallow, bump the ISO as high as you need/dare.

The higher shutter will also reduce handshake.

And using a longer lens will allow you to shoot more covertly from a longer distance. My 100/2.8 is great for this. Puppies, small kids and bugs were what this lens lives for....

(1/mm: if shooting with a 100mm lens, use a shutter faster than 1/100sec)

in a pinch, full tummies slow them down....

edit:
another comment: I notice you list of lenses are a bit slow, save the 50/1.8. You will need to work outdoors or in great light to get this to work without flash, which i assume is your desire.

This is an area where long & fast glass really makes it work unless you can get away with those super high ISOs. A longer lens will cause the aperture's DoF impact to be reduced, so that DoF on an f2.8 on a 100mm really won't be as objectionable as it would be at 50mm.

Some glass in the range of 100mm and faster than f3.0 would go a long way to help you attain this.

[Corrie]

Yep, high shutter speed.

[canoflan]

Use a fast prime, wide open, but stopped down perhaps 1 to 1.5 stops where the lens will be sharpest. On a 50mm 1.4, use f/2 and so on. Use the sharpest lens you have and work within that range. Better to have a sharp lens and leave some crop room than to crop in camera with fuzzy photos.

Use AI servo, or constant focus mode and practice on a dog or something before the next shoot. You cannot get tack sharp images, except by luck, on single focus mode since there is always a delay between focusing and shooting.

Lastly, you should learn all the ways you can sharpen an image in Photoshop since if you don't get tack sharp on a definite keeper image because you nailed the composition, etc... you can rescue the look of a sharp image since most clients don't pixel peep like we do.

[m_mphotography]

Just how discriminating do I need to get to throw away out of focus pictures?? I've been real discriminating....don't know if I'm throwing away unneccessarily.

[ShaneKislack]

Well the one thing people aren't telling you is...shoot a bunch. Most of the time when you're trying to get that look, you just have to motor drive and hope one of them is in focus.

[Corrie]

As a rule I throw out anything where the focus landed somewhere it wasn't supposed to.

[kenw]

Originally Posted by m_mphotography

Just how discriminating do I need to get to throw away out of focus pictures?? I've been real discriminating....don't know if I'm throwing away unneccessarily.

don't toss ANY unless you are looking at them on the computer or unless you see that they are totally and without any doubt tossable.

[bondarnes]

Originally Posted by ShaneKislack

Well the one thing people aren't telling you is...shoot a bunch. Most of the time when you're trying to get that look, you just have to motor drive and hope one of them is in focus.

Also known as "spray and pray." I have found that SuperGlue and bubbles work quite well with this age.

[Shelby Lane]

Originally Posted by bondarnes

Also known as "spray and pray." I have found that SuperGlue and bubbles work quite well with this age.

LOL, I have found that giving them something to do that will keep them in place for even a minute is great. I am not a kid chaser, and yes, shooting wide open will be hard with anything that moves. So we have tea parties, and play with bubbles, or I give them a coin to stand on. And I also avoid scheduling the 18 month old set any time I can... they've just figured out that they're independent beings, and they will exercise that independence by showing you the backs of their heads any chance they get.

[toverman]

I shoot just about wide open (f/2.8 on an f/1.8 prime) and as fast with the shutter speed I can get. Shooting wide open works best for individual kids or when you want to highlight one out of a group.

Think like a sports shooter: fast glass wide open, fast shutter speed and take lots of shots to get the expressions you want.

[canoflan]

Oh, last thing. After "spraying and praying" and whatever else you do, the shots that look best are when the eyes are sharp (if the eyes are in the photo and you intend for the face to be in focus).

I have seen where this isn't made a priority and the shots just look too much like snapshots.

Oh, lastly, as a general rule, it is assumed you are shooting on continuous with moving subjects, else, you really will get disgruntled quite quickly.