Light Meter: Kids & Eye Level

They’re short. They make noise. They eat things you don’t want them to and when you turn your back, they’ve climbed to new heights. Kids! Raise your hand if you can hear Ray Walston as Pappy from the movie Popeye droning on and on about kids. Good movie, you should rent it. No, not right now. Wait until after you’ve read my blog, please. Thanks.

Anyway, there’s nothing you can do about them kids so you might as well get the best pictures you can. While they do move around quickly and ignore you when you tell them to hold still, there’s one thing you can do to help get the best shot. Bring yourself down to their level, literally.

If you take a photo of a subject who is shorter than you, you will get the top of his/her head and their nose. This angle doesn’t offer vivid proof of a smile or laughter. Sure you can see them rolling their eyes at you but do you really need proof it happens?

By kneeling or squatting down so that you’re at the same or just slightly above the kids’ eye level you will see those big bright eyes and cute little button nose. It’s the difference between a quick snapshot and a photograph.

If you are physically unable to lower yourself, there are some cool cameras with swivel screens to make your life easier. This way you can hold the camera down as low as you can and flip the LCD screen up towards you so you can still see what or who you’re photographing.

If you’d like to see proof, check out this kid model who I also didn’t pay. It’s amazing how many models I get to pose without having to shell out a single dime, isn’t it? Just think, come Magic Meets in July I’ll have almost the entire All Ears staff around me. Muah ha ha ha ha haaa.

In or out? This isn’t a barn. What? It’s not, it’s a petting zoo.

Now you can see that precious face. Hurry up! In or out?

Oh and by the way, this advice also works when photographing children.

Photos taken at Disneyland’s Big Thunder Ranch.