color, click, capture photography challenge – black

Welcome to Week TEN of the Color, Click Capture Photography Challenge hosted by East9thStreet, A Helicopter Mom, Nap Time Is My Time and Sunshine and Sippy Cups.  This week’s color is BLACK!

 

Finding a nice photograph showing something black was challenging for me. {Too bad I didn’t have my camera at the ready yesterday morning when I was burning toast!} I scrolled through my archives and found this cool shot that I snapped at the Capital One Bowl game in 2006.

And for all of you Auburn fans, here’s the rest of their bikes:

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We are back with more exciting tips to share with you this week, as well! You’ll remember Christy M. Tsiantos, the lifestyle photographer we featured last week. You can find her at CMT Photography. This week she’s sharing a few more ideas for engaging children from behind the lens.

Name that Tune! No matter what your singing voice sounds like, breaking into song is pretty much a guaranteed way to get some natural smiles! For toddlers I like to sing, “(Insert name here) Amy, Amy, Jump up and down! Jump Up and Down! Jump up and down! Amy, Amy, Jump up and Down! Please sit down!” Kids LOVE to hear their name in songs – feel free to add their name to your favorite children’s song or make one up! Adding silly words to a song they already know is sure to incite giggles. Think “The itsy bitsy elephant,” “Ring around the doughnut,” or any combination you can come up with should do the trick!

Become a Chatty Cathy! Oftentimes, the only thing you can think of to say to your kids when it’s time for a photo is the infamous “Say Cheese!” I find that saying anything and everything BUT say cheese will work. Stay behind the camera and keep shooting as you chat. Ask them questions like “Who is your best friend at school?,” “What does that flower smell like?” “What’s your favorite ice-cream topping?” This strategy will help you capture your child’s most naturalsmiles. The sweet, beautiful, one-sided grin that they get when thinking about their favorite things (chocolate sauce, flowers, their BFF, their silly mom behind the camera).

Offer Bribes! When it comes to getting the perfect photo, I am not above offering bribes! Especially when you need them to pose with their siblings, which seems to be every child’s worst nightmare. I find giant lollipops do the trick (and serve as a GREAT prop). For a group posed shot, show the lollipops just as you are about to snap the photo and have them say “Lollipop!” Then, you can sit them on a stair, bench, log, or right in the grass and get a few extra lollipop shots, which are always cute (if not massively sticky!).

Want to participate in our challenge? It’s super easy! Here’s how It Works:

• Take a picture the represents the color of the week.
• Write a blog post that features your picture and link it up.
• Visit other people’s posts and hopefully find some inspiration!
• You can put the button and link code on your blog if you wish but it’s not a requirement.