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How To Photograph A Child’s Birthday Party

admin | Jan 28, 2010 | Comments View Comments

Jaden Eastwood's 3rd Birhday

Jaden Eastwood's 3rd Birhday

One of my kiddos had her birthday in December (poor thing) and the other has one coming in March. When I look back at some of my old birthday party pictures they’re not that great. Better than most (my father was a pretty good with a camera back in the day) but there’s much to be desired. I’m willing to bet if you look back at yours you’ll feel the same.

It’s not just about creating great photographs…more about preserving memories in a clear and concise fashion.

What I most enjoyed about my birthday parties when I was a child are the memories of playing with my buddies. I don’t really remember what they look like at that age. We have the traditional pics of everyone sitting at a table with a cake and candles and nobody is looking at the camera. They’re all looking at me. While this “accurately” captures the moment, I just don’t feel it “accurately” captures the memory.

Do your kid or grandchild a favor and capture the whole party as an event where everyone is the star. To your kiddo, on that magical day, it’s not about presents or cake, it’s about friendship and fun!

Why not set up an impromptu “photo studio” in a corner or out of the way spot. If you’re indoors you’ll want to find a spot next to a window to get some nicely diffused window light.  If you’re outdoors the sky’s the limit!

Shiny Happy Birthday Girl

Shiny Happy Birthday Girl

A solid bed-sheet or poster-board will make a nice background for some fun closeups of all of the child’s friends.

Think “wedding photographer” on a small scale. Get a nice shot of the birthday cake and some of the decorations.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Don’t forget action shots of the kiddos running around and the birthday child opening presents.

Later you can put all of the different elements together in a small booklet or scrapbook that truly captures the fun memories of a young child’s birthday party!

Photographs:

Jaden Eastwood’s 3rd Birthday by JeramieLu.com

Shiny Happy Birthday Girl by Pink Sherbet Photography

Happy Birthday! by .neha.


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About the Author: Damien Franco is a contemporary art photographer living in the deserts of West Texas. He likes long walks on the beach and thinks art is groovy.

  • photographyholidays
    Love this blog. I visit it every now and then. It's informative and nicely written. It's inspiring to see people getting out there and doing it! Will recommend to my students. Keep on posting!
  • Thanks for the kind words...and don't worry. I'll keep on posting!
  • i learned a lot in this site about How To Photograph A Child’s Birthday Party... i love keeping memories especially with occasions.. and i don't want to miss a single captured in that celebration..
  • Okey I have the child and canon camera also and i will try to capture better images ...
  • amazing photos and useful info. thanks
  • Personally I don't agree with setting up a mini photo studio for a kid's birthday party. For one, kids generally don't like sitting still long enough for photo posing. Secondly, that is not really capturing the memory either. In my opinion, candid action shots will always be a better memory than any manufactured poses.
  • The idea is to get both. Portraits to remember what everyone looked like at that age and action and scenery shots to portray what was going on. It's similar to wedding photographers who do both traditional and photojournalistic wedding photography.
  • Great article! for some reason, taking birthday party pictures doesn’t rate as high on the “importance scale” as photos marking other occasions such as anniversaries, graduations and weddings.
  • Nice photo of birthday party. Cute birthday girl.
  • Birthday Parties present us with a lot of emotion, interaction, color and energy in a child’s party – the highs and a few lows of life are all present. On the challenging side of things – children’s parties can be chaotic places with moving subjects, lots of clutter and often little time for those organizing them to pick up a camera and take a shot.
  • I see clearly what you're saying looking back at some of my birthday party shots as a kid. Almost every shot looks so 2-dimensional and boring. But I guess it never occurs to us till we see how much better it could be. I'll be remembering your tips for my kids' birthday parties for sure!

    Till then,

    Jean
  • I always forget this part. My kid's magic birthday party wasn't photographed good enough. I won't make the same mistake next year. Birthday is a special day in a year of our lifetime. It is not necessary to celebrate our special day with a huge party and by inviting hundreds of people, just to let them know we exist. Especially for kids. Birthday is a day when he feels special by the accompany of his beloved ones, like parents, brothers, sisters and the other members of the family. A small celebration can sometimes become the best party of your child. Like my little boy’s magic birthday party. I was acting as birthday magician. And great photography will make it last forever.
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