The Posing Playbook for Photographing Kids

Shoot 4

A closeup shot of someone smiling outside in bright lighting isn’t all that difficult. Unless you want to capture a genuine smile . . . in flattering light . . . that looks natural . . . and with an appealing composition. Then it all gets a bit dodgier.

For this closeup, the light had already started dropping outside, so it was more reasonable to try for a shot where my subject was facing the late afternoon summer sun. But just barely. So I positioned her against a wall and pulled her hair forward a bit, so it didn’t just flatten up against the wall. We tried to get a good shot, but she couldn’t look up in the direction of the sun without straining her eyes.

I have tried various tactics in these scenarios. The option of having your subject ...