Capturing photos—good photos—of toddlers is challenging. They move fast, they don’t follow instructions well, and their emotions flip from joyful to rage-quit in a split second. Prompts are a great tool for young kids because it gives them something to do. But before you direct them into playing little games or going on an adventure, get these fundamental toddler tactics in your skill-bag so that you’re ready to shoot.
Toddler tactics: strategies for photographing toddlers and pre-schoolers
This prompt is a fundamental one for every time you work with toddlers. Get yourself ready with these strategies, then layer on activity and game prompts (like Get Silly, Throw Stuff, Ready Set Get Wet) to capture the fun.
How to use this photo pose prompt
When working with very young children, work fast and know your camera. Toddlers have short attention spans and are not used to holding expressions like older children will (having been trained to “Smile!” over the years). A glance at the camera, or a smile, might last less than a second before they are re-occupied with whatever their activity is.
Get down low to their level to catch their face and expressions where they are playing. Follow and track while staying in front, backing up (don’t trip!) and tracking eyes with focal point.
Know your camera settings and modes (shoot in M). Avoid chimping (shooting and checking the screen): get your settings right, then shoot the moment, check when the moment is passed what you got. Remember to reset when light conditions change.
Strategy 1: Camera settings
- Set a fast shutter speed (1/200 or faster is almost always necessary with playing children).
- Set aperture for creative effect and needs of the moment: Lower e.g. f1.8, to blur background and let in more light. Higher e.g. f8, to show background, greater depth of field in focus for very fast movement or for groups with people at different distances from camera.
- Set ISO as low as light levels allow; indoors a higher ISO can help you keep shutter speed fast enough to freeze toddler motion.
- Use burst mode in key moments to catch fast-moving expressions.
- Use continuous focus mode and move your focal point to always keep it on an eye (as a general rule, unless playing with selective focus and deliberately blurring the face).
Strategy 2: Field techniques
- Know your settings (see the above): fast shutter, choose aperture, ISO as low as possible, burst mode, continuous focus mode.
- Follow and track eyes, staying in front.
- Get down to their level (catch faces and expressions).
- Set and shoot: check what you got after the moment has passed.
Creative extension
- Distract a recalcitrant toddler by letting them take control: allow them (with your help!) to hold and point the camera, and take a photo. Show them how to look through the viewfinder, and how to press the shutter. Get parents involved by being the subjects for the toddler’s exploration, and give lots of praise after they take their “amazing” photo.
Tag @promptographerguide and use the hashtag #promptographerguide to share your results.
Want this prompt in your Field Cards set?
All the info in this prompt post is summarized onto a single card in the Promptographer Guide Field Cards, with the details given in the accompanying Guidebook. All the ideas are given on the one card so you have a rich, comprehensive tool for sparking ideas. I’ve designed it this way so you only need five to ten cards to build a whole photoshoot.
If you want this prompt in your set, make sure you include Set 6: Family Essentials in your Field Cards.
