Who doesn’t have some aspect of their face that they’d rather not have caught on film? Just being aware of how camera angle, lighting, and the subject’s pose affect the appearance of facial features will help you conceal imperfections and portray your subjects at their best. To minimize a large nose, have the subject raise their chin slightly and photograph from straight on. To reduce the appearance of wrinkles and blemishes, use soft lighting from the front. A double chin can be disguised if the subject raises their chin and leans their head toward camera slightly. A full face will appear slimmer from a 3/4 angle and if only that side of the face that’s turned away from the camera is illuminated. If the subject has large ears, a 3/4 angle with one ear in the shadows will produce a more attractive look. When photographing someone in glasses, take care that the light won’t be reflected off the lenses. If the person prefers not to remove their glasses, have them turn their face away from lights or use only overhead lighting. When looking for the most flattering pose, keep in mind that if you have the subject tilt their head up, but then you raise the camera, you’ve just cancelled out the disguising effect of the head angle.
Babies and young children
New babies have inspired more amateur photographers than perhaps any other subject. Everyone wants to capture the fleeting moments of babyhood, but those moments are not always so easy to capture. The most important consideration is the baby’s comfort. Work quickly and let the baby rest every few minutes or smiles will be in short supply.
For a simple setting indoors, drape a blanket of a solid, light color over a piece of furniture. The baby can then sit or lie on a blanket in front of this backdrop. Costumes may be cute, but they can cause more trouble than they’re worth. To minimize stress on the baby, add just the suggestion of a costume or setting, such as a hat or a toy. Use props with similar color tones and shapes to keep the scene uniform.
For a baby lying on his or her back, photos can be taken from the side straight on or at an angle slightly below that. Another option is to stand directly over the baby and shoot straight down. For babies lying face down, be sure that the head is turned so that the baby’s face is completely visible. When photographing young children, rather than standing and shooting down at them, get down on their eye level to avoid distorted perspective.