Changing Your Angle For More Creative Photographs Of Your Children

Prefer to read? You’ll find a written tutorial below.

When we pick up our camera to photograph our baby or our child doing something, our natural instinct is often to stand still at our normal adult height and take our photograph from there.

But when you change your position to something other than that norm you can often add a lot more interest to the photo.

In this tutorial, we’ll look at how photographing the same picture from four different angles can change the final photograph.

 

1. Taking A Photograph From Our Natural Viewpoint

In this tutorial we’re going to look at photographs I’ve taken of my daughter playing with books and toys on her playmat.

When I see her doing something that I’d like to photograph, my most natural instinct might be to stay where I am, standing up, and take a photograph of her from here. This is most natural viewpoint; the person looking at the photo is going to see what I can see, and that’s what they would see if they’re here too. It’s a nice photograph, but probably very similar to hundreds of photographs I already have of her

changing your angle for more creative photographs

2. Taking The Photograph At Eye Level

If I crouch down and change my position so that my eyes (and the camera) are level with my daughter’s eyes the photograph completely changes.

At this level, the scene becomes less important to me, and I can see much more of her – her facial expressions and what she’s focussed on. It gives me a completely different perspective and makes the photograph more interesting for me.

Taking picture at eye level in photography

3. Taking The Photograph From Below

If I move even lower so I’m lying down on the floor and my camera is on the floor I get a third, completely different view.

From my position in the photograph below I see more of what’s around my daughter. We’re back to seeing the whole scene.

Photography tutorial perspective

If I get closer to my daughter, and tilt my camera upwards I get another view completely. My daughter appears much bigger than I usually see her! This can be a fun perspective to try in photographs, particularly with older children. I wouldn’t usually use it when photographing babies as I want to record the fact that they are small.

worms eye view photography

4. Photographing From Above

Finally, if I stand up again, I can stand above my daughter and have a birds eye view of the scene. This again gives me a totally different perspective and it completely changes the photograph, even though nothing about the situation has changed. 

photographing babies different angles

In Summary: Using Angles When You’re Photographing Your Children

As we’ve seen, moving around and photographing the same scene from four different viewpoints can give you very different results.

Perspective in photography

When you next pick up your phone or your camera to take some pictures of your children, try taking photographs of the same scene from these different perspectives.

You’ll probably find that there are some pictures you like and some you don’t, but you might find that you walk away with a few more interesting photographs than you would have normally taken. 

 

Want To Learn More About How You Can Improve Your Photographs?

Book a place on my beginners photography training for parents. 

In this half-day training, you’ll learn:

  • What the different settings on your camera mean and how to use them.
  • The exposure triangle and how light affects your photographs.
  • What makes a good photograph and the rules of composition.
  • How to capture natural photographs of your children without any forced, cheesy grins!

Click here to learn more about the beginners photography training

Clare Murthy

Clare Murthy

I’m a newborn, baby and family photographer working with families from South West London and Surrey. I specialise in timeless, natural photography with no props or unnatural posing. I photograph babies at my studio, and families in beautiful outdoor locations. I'm based on the Surrey / London border, close to Hampton Court.
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