Customer Reviews

Capture Your Kids in Pictures: Simple Techniques for Taking Great Family Photos with Any Camera

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I am a terrible photographer-or at least, I was, until Jay Forman's simple lessons. I had no idea how just a few little "tweaks" in my technique could produce such amazing photos-better than any cheap mall photo shop with silly props. I can use my own camera and get some beautiful shots of my kids at home, doing what they love. This is by far the best photography book I've ever read. It is, sincerely, the one investment that is paying off for me every time I use my camera. And this book, giftwrapped, would make a great way to announce to your hubby or parents that a baby is on the way!

A friend loaned this book to me with the recommendation "There are some decent tips in here." I initially put the book away, thinking that my two high school photography classes had been enough instruction for something as simple as taking snapshots of my daughter. Turns out I was wrong.

The book is filled with practical advice. And more importantly, each tip is illustrated with side-by-side photos to show what happens if you do it right, and what happens if you don't. With each chapter you learn a new tip or technique, understand the "why" behind it because you see it in the many photo comparisons, and you begin to internalize it. I imagine with time and a little practice, the tips will become second nature for me, and then I'll loan the book to someone else.

One last note. This isn't a book for photography buffs with big gear bags. All the photos were taken with a basic 35mm camera and no special lenses, and I found the content highly relevant for my own photography, which is 95% shot from an everyday Olympus digital camera.

This is a great book on photographing children, covering basic rules of good photography (eg, the rule of thirds) as well as more specific ideas particularly applicable to children. I especially liked that this book is full of photographic examples: every page has at least 2-3 photos displaying various options, which helps the reader to immediately get a clear visual sense of what makes for a "good" picture of children. The author begins by focusing on general principles such as composition and light, then moves on to address more specific topics, including photographing infants, setting the stage, and taking candid shots. He also focuses on picture-taking for special occasions, from sporting events (including how to position for each sport) to birthday parties to holidays. Finally, there is a small but helpful section on scrapbooking. Although this book covers children of all ages, it would make a great baby shower gift (which is why I bought it). Overall, this is an excellent picture-taking guide which I think would serve to help virtually anyone improve their pictures of not just children but people in general; highly recommended!

I was skeptical about whether I would learn anything new about taking pictures of my kids, but this book is great! Clear and concise rules are provided in an easy-to-read layout, with most lessons spelled out in a 2-page spread and accompanied by examples of both what not to do and what to do.

The author covers rules of composition and light, as well as techniques about where to place yourself to get the best shots. There are also sections specific to shooting sports, birthday parties, and holidays.

Very useful!

I was skeptical, but am glad I bought this book. It's easy to understand, and changed the way I see before I shoot. My pictures are actually worth looking at now. Good one.

This is a great book for beginners or people who always seem to wonder "Why do everyone else's pictures always look so much better than mine?" The best thing about it is that it's short on text and long on visual examples. For visual learners, it's a dream.

I really enjoyed this book. The way it is laid out shows several ways to take the same picture. The author then shows how to get the best picture. A picture is worth a thousand words, so seeing these side by side examples of "right" and "wrong" is extremely helpful.

What I find ironic is that the cover is a complete turn off. It is likely the worst picture in the book and makes the book look very dated. The info inside though is great.

I got this for Christmas from my sister because I am hopeless at taking pictures of my four month old. I'm amazed at the difference the techniques make! Yesterday I did my first "mini shoot" that the book talks about and I can't believe the great pictures I was able to take! I also really like the author's tone throughout the book. He's a father as well, and it really helps him get across to his readers. I would definitely recommend this to new parents like me AND not so new parents.

A couple of other things I liked:

1. There's a lot of pictures to help illustrate his points and techniques.

2. It's a quick read. I read it all the way through during my baby's nap and started taking pictures when she woke up.

3. The tips are simple enough for beginners but yield portrait quality pictures.

4. You don't need a expensive camera to take good pictures if you have this book. I have an olympus 8 megapixel and that was plenty.

I could go on, I love this book! If you buy it you won't be disappointed!

This book was an excellent instruction on how to get really pretty shots of my toddler boy. I wish I had discovered it earlier when he was a baby. At least now I can make up for lost time and shoot, shoot, shoot. You really need to take lots of shots to get one that will fascinate you. I learned about composition, lighting, and basically how to handle my small point-and-shoot camera. He also gives you tips on how to dress kids, to first be aware of your surroundings, background, etc. and decide beforehand on the best scenery rather than just reacting to take the picture quickly. In short, he gives simple, yet effective tips to really take the best photos. If you already know a bit about photography, this book is probably not for you as it really covers pretty much the basics in a very easy to follow and user friendly manner. But if you are new to the subject, then I believe you will get valuable tips on how to capture really lovely shots of your kids, and that in my opinion, is priceless ... I now get to contemplate the photos of my son and share them proudly with my family and friends.