Customer Reviews

Creative Techniques for Photographing Children

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Vik Orenstein owns a photography studio, "Kidshooters," which specializes in uniquely beautiful child portraiture. We can all remember as children being forced to sit stiffly before the photographer and his camera. Vik's approach is one that encourages the child to be himself, thereby capturing his true essence. This is a wonderful book for anyone just getting starting in the photography of children, as well as for professionals. Another interesting aspect of the author's work is her use of hand-colored black-and-white photographs. Anyone who wishes to improve or revise their techniques for child photography would benefit greatly from this book.

I think of this book as the "gold standard" to which I compare everything else I read on child photography. Vik has such a great style -- reading this really inspired me AND made me think "Hey, I can do this too!" Her instruction and tips are excellent, and I really like the fact that she advocates capturing images of kids just being kids, rather than a lot of contrived poses. My only complaint is that since it was published in 1993, a lot of the equipment info is now outdated -- particularly the film types she recommends, some of which are no longer available. I would love to see a new edition with some updated info in this regard.

I am a professional children's photographer who was looking for some fresh poses and ideas, and I definitely found those in Orenstein's book. The photos are non-traditional and full of life and movement, but you can bet that almost every last one was a seller -- and probably at a higher price than a boring department store portrait. It's full of great ideas for showcasing a child's personality and developing a creative, personal, SELLABLE style.

I read the reviews before I bought it, and I have to say that the photos are great examples of how you need to learn "Photo Class 101" rules, and then break them. If you are interested in "mall photo mill", standard studio stock shots of kids with tired props in front of fake-looking backgrounds, look elsewhere. But if you want to be more than just a point-and-shoot photographer, Orenstein's book is for you. I would highly recommend it to all those who are just starting out in this fun but often frustrating field.

A professional photographer with a real love for kids and an clear appreciation of what makes for an exciting and exhuberant picture of a child reveals the secrets behind page after page of successful pictures. The author propounds a refreshingly unconventional method to child photography - rather than dressing a kid impeccably, sitting the kid down and having the kid smile, the author prefers to give kids the run of the studio, a choice of dress, and a full range of expression. Every page of this book is bursting with the energy of kids portrayed, providing the inspiration - and step by step instruction - for applying the same sort of "unconventional" techniques on future generations of children.

Even if you already have a way with kids or a knack for creative, fun portraits, you will still enjoy and learn a lot from this book! This gem is full of great tips and reveals many ways to make magical, memorable portraits of children. Vik shares a wealth of wonderful techniques for getting real and natural expressions, styling your images, and having a great time becoming more creative. It is a treasure and a joy to read. No parent or child photographer should shoot without it!

This book is packed with great info. I've found other books on photographing children to be much lighter on content. Her style lets kids be kids, rather than placing them into unnaturally contrived sets. The book has helpful info for both beginning amateurs and experienced pros.

I am a novice photographer breaking into the world of Pro childrens photography and this book has been extremely helpful. Lots of great pics with a caption by each naming where, and what equipment and film was used to create the photo. I sat and read this in one night, easy read with just enough technical info to be helpful.

I found the book creative, informative and well written. It focuses on a strong approach to studio photography. The best part of the book are the photos (great sample photos!).

I would have liked more details regarding the technique. While there are mentions of some of the lenses, light and film, there is very little info on the approach, the technique or the goal. One could definitely learn more from the photos by understanding what the photographer wanted to show with each shot. Lastly, this book was 80% focused on studio photography. Being an event photographer, I was hoping to find more location, or outdoor shots.

Overall I believe that the book was useful and a good addition to my library. When friends and relatives come over to visit, this is the first book that gets taken from the shelf.

Good work, looking forward to a follow-up book.

This book is very good. It is complete to the point of ideas on how to get the attention of children of different ages and how to help them smile and relax. The author covers just about every issue concerning photographing children.

This book is good for beginners and experienced photographers because it has many ideas. Beginners will not get overwhelmed with photography jargon, and experienced photographers will get an insight on thinking like a child and dealing with them and the parents. I recommend this book for every child photographer.

I bought this book hoping to get new ideas - but I flipped through it and was very uninspired. A lot of the pictures could be used for what NOT to do when photographing. Lighting was horrible in most pictures, too bright or too dark - couldn't even see subjects face in some pictures. Some of the pictures had shadows falling on the subjects faces! I took the book to my photography class and we went through the pictures showing what was wrong in everything...