We have this beautiful cultural center in the town where we live - Richardson, Texas.  It's called the Eisemann Center.  I have been looking around for indoor areas that I can rent to photograph clients so I took an afternoon to go to the Eisemann and look around.

What I didn't expect was this awesome fountain outdoors.  It wasn't a pool kind of fountain; instead, the water shot right out of the concrete in choreographed patterns.  It was so fun to watch the water.  My boys were with me and they were thrilled at the prospect of playing in that fountain.

But, it was midday when we got there and they didn't have swimsuits or towels so I planned for us to go again at another time when we were better prepared.  I chose a Sunday evening, thinking it wouldn't be as crowded.  And I wanted something better than midday light.  (Turned out, it was cloudy, which isn't optimal, but sometimes you take what you get.)

Here are a few of my favorite shots:

There is nothing wrong with spur-of-the-moment snapshots.  But, with a little planning, you can get something much more interesting.  Here are my top tips for getting great pictures of children:

• Wait for the good light.  I say this all the time but it's true.  Midday light is atrocious.  It leads to squinting and harsh shadows.  Wait until about an hour before sunset.
• Children don't always have to be looking at the camera.  In fact, if your child is one who puts on a fake smile for the camera, it's best to catch them off-guard.
• Take lots and lots of shots. Then go home and choose the best ones for printing/posting.
• For those of you who are more advanced, try varying the shutter speed and aperture.
• Get on their level for some of the shots.  We are used to children being shorter than we are so that is how we are used to seeing them.  Get even lower than they are for a totally different perspective.

Until next month -

Dawn