Birthday pictures are memories that you will always take you back in time to that special moment of fun and excitement. Creating happy birthday pictures can be a challenge, so here is an important list of successful tips to help you succeed. Plan your party place and set up ahead of time. Whether it is your dining room or a picnic table outdoors, to get your best shots, prepare the setup and be ready to shoot immediately upon arrival of the children.
Have pleasing lighting planned ahead of time, if outdoors, make sure there is no harsh light to cause harsh shadows and an unpleasing effect. Under a tree might be good as long as there is enough sunlight to create a nice smooth skin tone.
Have children dressed and ready to go before they are allowed to see the party area. It will keep their genuine enthusiasm for the picture and that is what you want to capture.
Have some props that are simple and will add amusement to your photo. I actually had teacups for this shot that did not work out. The children were really too young to appreciate the concept of drinking from a teacup, and played with the cups and saucers and knocked them over several times before I canned that idea. With older children, it can be a fun idea – these two sisters are 1 and 2 years old. The balloons worked beautifully, as they were a compliment to the picture and the children were thrilled to play with them.
Some fun music in the background lends itself to a party atmosphere, encouraging the children to dance and clap.
Don’t say “SMILE” instead, engage them in conversation that will make them react with a smile.
such as “Wheeee – isn’t this fun? Yay, Whoopee, Let’s dance!”
Most of all, shoot quick and don’t get discouraged. I took these photos in just a few minutes, the mother was sure we didn’t get anything because Savannah – age 2, was running in circles most of the time, and the baby – age 1, had a bad cold and was not smiling as much as we had hoped. However, once you edit down to the bare bones, there are a lot of cute pictures!
