P#14 Q2B: What Props Are Your Favorites for Photographing Children?

Less is More

Vik Orenstein: I actually like to use as few props as possible when photographing children. I prefer the kids to be the only subject in my shots.

If the prop is sentimental or tells a story about the child, then I like to include it. For instance, a blankie or a well-loved bear. Or something that tells a story about the child, like if they're into airplanes, then an antique airplane.

Books are great because you can get shots of the child interacting with the book and they're kind of in their own little world.

Finger-paints are great because they add color and interest, and you can get a lot of shots of the kid involved in their painting and looking at their hands like, "Oh my gosh, how did my hands get this paint on them?"

Anything that engages the children and tells a story about them.

Keep It Small

I do try to avoid any props that are larger than the child's head. We don't want to get really large or amorphously shaped objects in there.

For instance, I had one family bring a stuffed bear into the studio with a two-month-old baby and the bear was about three feet tall. You would think that would be a cute shot, but it was a shoot of a bear with a little, teeny, tiny baby at the bottom.

Audri Lanford: You know, I would never have thought of the finger-paints as something that you would want to use.

Vik Orenstein: Anything that the kids enjoy and that adds color or interest is great when photographing children. When using finger paints, we just put down plastic. We don't worry about the mess at all.

In Conclusion

Props are important in photography, but you need the right type of props if you want your pictures to stand out. According to Vik, less is oftentimes more and props that actually add meaning or interest to the shots are key to photographing children.