Digital cameras have been a blessing to photographers in many ways. For starters, photo memories are cheaper, more plentiful, and easier to make than ever. Digital photography has opened up a whole world of possibilities for preserving images far beyond the time-tested photo album, including the quality digital photo canvas or print portrait — a great way to capture a particular age or moment in time. If you’re planning to turn an informal or formal picture of your child into a wall portrait, keep in mind a few helpful tips when you take the picture.
- Don’t limit yourself to stiff, posed shots. You’re much more likely to capture the essence of your child by shooting him or her at play or doing something spontaneous. A natural, off-guard moment will make a much more compelling and affective digital photo canvas print than an awkward, artificial pose. So it’s a good idea to keep your camera at the ready to seize the perfect photo opportunity when it happens.
- Take LOTS of pictures. Remember, the days of paying for a bad print are long over. The digital camera has made it entirely possible to shoot dozens and dozens of shots, out of which you might print five. It’s a technique professional photographers have been using for decades, and it’s never more useful than when trying to get a good photo of your child to convert into a lasting, digital photo canvas print.
- Use interesting backgrounds. Guess what: Your front door or dining room is not an interesting background. There’s a reason the pros use drop cloths, drapery, and the outdoors to frame their subjects in a photo. Consider putting your kids where the focus is on them and their unique personality — not the color of the wallpaper. A tree showing off its fall colors makes a far more attractive background on canvas.
- Clothe your baby. For some reason, many parents think it’s adorable to have a picture of their baby in the altogether. But a naked baby doesn’t necessarily make a great portrait. If you plan to memorialize your children’s infancy via digital photo canvas print, years later they will definitely appreciate that they were fully dressed.
- Don’t tell them to “smile nicely.” One sure way to get a forced smile from a child is to ask for one. Think about what kinds of things make your kid laugh — whether it’s a TV show, a family inside joke, or an embarrassing memory, and then bring it up in the context of the digital photo session. Be patient when trying to capture that natural smile, and the reward will be a truly memorable portrait suitable for preserving on print or canvas.
