Birthday party photography

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Alexander Lozitsky CEO and co-Founder RetouchMe, Ukraine

• 1. Birthday photography camera settings
• 2. Birthday photography ideas and tips
• 3. Birthday photography backdrops
• 4. 16th Birthday photography in a costume
• 5. 1st Birthday photography at home
• 6. Studio photo shoot for a one-year-old boy or girl
• 7. Outdoor birthday photography for all the family
• 8. Birthday cake photography on a boat
• 9. Birthday photography in a restaurant
• 10. Photoshoot "on wheels"
• 11. Birthday black-and-white photography
• 12. How to choose the best birthday ideas for a photo?

A photo album is a good birthday present. But to get great shots, you should think through everything and prepare the location and guests. Qualitative shots, even after many years, will fill the birthday boy or a girl with pleasant emotions.

1. Birthday photography camera settings

It does not matter if you invite and expert photographer or want to do it yourself. There are common rules to set the camera and equipment before shooting. When working with constant light, there are no special restrictions. But when you take pictures outdoors or have a pulsing light effect, flash length from 1/400 second and shorter is recommended. That is, in ½ of a second, the matrix will receive as much light as in 1/100 of a second. Most likely, it will be a faster movement. The aperture value should not go beyond f / 5.6-11. Most of the lenses allow you to achieve maximum sharpness and detail in this range.

If your conditions are specific and you need to get a beautiful blur or, conversely, set a high depth of field, then you can tweak the aperture, there is nothing criminal here. It should also be remembered that high aperture values are dangerous for the appearance of coarse glare and a decrease in the sharpness of the entire photograph due to diffraction.

In case you do not know the right ISO level, the required number is possible to find with the help of a flash meter. To use it, you need to set the minimum ISO of a camera used for shooting, bring the device as close to a subject as possible and recreate ideal lighting conditions. The recommended value will immediately appear on its screen.

2. Birthday photography ideas and tips

Based on the meaning of the word “PhotoAREA”, it’s enough to allocate a small place for it in the room where the party will be held. And then photos from the birthday will turn out spectacular and original.

Be sure to tell the photographer about the existing photo background during the celebration, because there will be the largest concentration of guests, and not only children.

To begin with, think about the theme, taking into account the preferences of the birthday child or adult. Among popular birthday photography ideas there are the sea, flowers for little princess girl, pirate for a naughty boy, balloons, and cupcakes for all ages. If we talk about kid’s birthday photography, an interesting photo zone is appropriate. Depending on the theme, they choose New Year, Autumn, Spring or Halloween.

3. Birthday photography backdrops

1. Portrait frame. Nothing special, you just need a frame, and preferably of a slightly different shape. The most successful background for such an option is outdoor a landscape.
2. Jewelry made of paper. Huge paper forms allow you to fill a large area. Also, huge flowers from paper, Chinese lanterns, stars, and balls will look fabulously beautiful, completing images with expression and light.
3. It is written on a fence... Building a small fragment of a fence, which is decorated with flowers, clouds, colors, pirate flags - it all depends on the theme of a holiday. You can also ask guests to leave their wishes on this fence for a birthday person.
4. Tapes. Different colors, textures and materials, it is enough to simply tie them at a height of about 2 meters. Such a decoration can be arranged within the children's room by hanging ribbons on a wall.
5. Flowers. It can be made from paper with your own hands. However, the manufacture of the most intricate and marvelous "varieties" of colors is better to entrust to specialists. To add fabulousness to such a backdrop, backlighting in gentle colors will help.
6. Fancy garlands. Use a plain thread as a basis. String anything on it. It all depends on the theme: pirate flags, soccer balls, a crown of a princess, hearts, flowers, etc. It is a secure mode to obtain memorable birthday party photography.
7. Balloons. This is what all children love. The more balloons, the more fun for kids. Especially if these balloons are filled with helium. The only tip to remember: do not choose too bright shades of balloons so that guests in festive clothes do not get lost against such a background.
8. Candy bar. The contents are unlikely to last until the end of the holiday. But neat and bright vases, gifts, candy canes, frames, ribbons, and candles will continue to please the eye, and help create beautiful photos.

4. 16th Birthday photography in a costume

Organizing a party for a teenager in a specific, pre-selected style is a great choice! It is only necessary to start preparing for the event in advance. It is advisable to choose themed costumes with friends for all participants without exception. This will create the right atmosphere, will allow you to get good pictures during the shooting

An important issue is that the gender of a hero of the occasion matters. For example, pink pajamas and Tiffany-style will not suit for a guy. This point is important to consider. Universal solutions suitable for boys and girls will be the following:

• Hawaii;
• pirate;
• pajama;
• mafia;
• superheroes.

Happy birthday photography held in this format will not only be another reason to please the birthday person. It will also allow you to permanently save the emotions of this joyful day!

5. 1st Birthday photography at home

Shooting at home with friends and parents is also a good solution! Especially when it is the first birthday photography of a child. It is important even in the life of a person and parents. Despite the apparent simplicity of such a celebration, it requires careful preparation. You need to choose clothes, decorations, and colors. An equally important factor is the interiors. If the first birthday photography props at home are not to your liking, move to a studio decorated most appropriately. The most important point: the main hero of the occasion should be dressed and highlighted as much as possible. Therefore, you need to prepare in advance everything you need to create a necessary atmosphere for a baby girl or boy.

Take a kid’s favorite toy to the photo shoot. It will help to distracted and calm the child if he is uncomfortable. First, let the photographer take some pictures with you. And then let him start the photo shoot of the child himself. Use different props. Soap bubbles and balloons are the best to evoke positive emotions in each baby. It is better to shoot so that the child does not even notice when he is being photographed. Then photos will be lively, real, very emotional.

6. Studio photo shoot for a one-year-old boy or girl

Shooting in the studio is much easier than outdoors or in other difficult conditions. Artificial light sources allow you to create a unique black and white pattern, make good shots even with minimal makeup. Talking about children, some of them are not very happy to move from home into an unknown environment, but parents have to distract them with toys and activities to create a good mood for shooting.

Capture great family shots with cakes and presents around the kid. Colors and joy of the moment will be perfectly transmitted onto the image.

7. Outdoor birthday photography for all the family

Shooting outdoors is one of the easiest solutions! It is enough to choose a suitable place, time. The best idea is to shoot in the morning, before 9am and in the evening, after 6pm. At this time, natural sunlight becomes a little diffused, does not form sharp shadows on the faces of models. That allows you to create a unique light composition in photos, to achieve smooth and natural skin color.

The bright midday sun creates discomfort, makes you squint. If the shooting will be conducted outdoors amid a summer day, it is better to stay in the shade of trees with a dense crown. This will avoid the occurrence of sharp shadows, discomfort among participants during the shooting.

8. Birthday cake photography on a boat

It is not necessary to own a boat. Today, most cities, situated on the banks of large rivers or seas, can boast with their yacht clubs. To realize the idea, you can simply contact one of these places. Many owners will agree to put several people on a deck with a photographer.

It is important to remember some of the nuances of shooting on a boat. It should be carefully corresponding to the weather. A strong wind will interfere with the shooting of a cake and people around it. If the weather does not seem to be good enough, it’s better to postpone the shooting date. Do not forget about safety measures even if the water is calm, and there is no wind.

9. Birthday photography in a restaurant

Many birthday people celebrate their birthdays in restaurants, cafes, banquet rooms. There are no special nuances for such an even. The only thing required is to behave comfortably, to avoid posing. This will allow the photographer to concentrate on shooting, to take pictures where guests will look natural and sometimes add the candid camera effect. Therefore, before starting shooting, you should discuss this point with everyone. This will eliminate the tightness, unnaturalness in pictures. Kids are always natural and do not pay attention to the camera and other people around them when they have fun. That is why make sure they enjoy the party and feel great.

10. Photoshoot "on wheels"

One of the non-standard solutions for birthday photography is a limousine or a bus equipped for a party. Today it will not be difficult to find one in any city. Taking pictures inside the vehicle does not have any specifics. It is important only to pre-indicate the theme of the event, the color of the ceiling, the amount of free space. This will help to adapt the necessary equipment and flash for shooting. Be careful not to smash items which may increase the vehicle rent cost.

11. Birthday black-and-white photography

Before taking photos in this genre, it is worth answering the question: is there a need to create such a birthday album. Often, discoloration of a picture can kill all its charm, which lies precisely in the brightness and richness of colors, especially for a birthday party. Also, when conducting a female or male photo shoot in black and white, pay attention to such criteria as:

• Exposure. When shooting, it is important to correctly set this parameter so that the photo has smooth tonal transitions. Each black-and-white image should have a sufficient range of gray tones with different levels of brightness, but at the same time they should not prevail, otherwise, the photo will look flat.
• RAW and JPEG formats. RAW is recommended for taking monochrome pictures, as it is capable to include more information. Also, experts advise taking color photographs, and then discolor them, using specialized apps and software. This is because the frame in color contains more information.
• ISO. When capturing black-and-white birthday photography, remember that black and white pictures can transmit more noise than color options. Therefore, when shooting, it is recommended to set the minimum ISO values.
• Shine. Depending on shooting time, you may get a different lighting. Therefore, it is better to avoid direct sunlight and organize shooting in the evening or the morning.
• Contrast. If it is incorrect in a frame, then details of a photo will merge.
• Focus, rule of thirds, angle and other parameters.

12. How to choose the best birthday ideas for a photo?

If the photo session is held at home, you can invite the whole family - both adults and teenagers, as well as pets. Combine different ideas, and all family members will like photos in a family album. When choosing ideas for your photos, consider:

• number of participants and their clothing to match the birthday party theme;
• time of year, perhaps in summer it is worth considering the idea of ​​shooting on a balcony or near an open window, and in winter give preference to other topics;
• age of a birthday kid or adult. Some babies and the age of adults in a picture requires special composition ideas.

When considering a photo shoot of an event for kids and adults, remember about good and comfortable clothes, makeup and mood. Usually, the processing of photos includes only exposure correction, work with colors and sharpness. Retouching is also possible at home with the help of specialized applications and editing tools available online. Just choose the best suitable for you and feel free to improve every shot. To get good, natural shots, just behave naturally. Excessive posing is undesirable.

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Author

Alexander Lozitsky CEO and co-Founder RetouchMe, Ukraine

Co-founder of RetouchMe. In addition to business, he is passionate about travel photography and videography. His photos can be viewed on Instagram (over 1 million followers), and his films can be found on his YouTube channel.
Moreover, his profile is featured on the most popular and authoritative resource in the film industry — IMDb. He has received 51 international awards and 18 nominations at film festivals worldwide.