Enewsletter
August 2009

This is where the Tamron 18-270mm XR Di II VC lens comes in particularly handy for parents on the prowl. “A lot of times, to capture those more natural shots, it’s better not to be right at the child’s side,” Saunders says. “The Tamron 18-270 gives you that longer lens range. You have a little more leeway, because you can be shooting from a distance.”

Waiting at the bus stop for that first bus ride (if you don’t drive your kids to school) is a perfect opportunity for such spontaneous moments. “You can get some great shots as they’re standing there waiting, especially if they’re interacting with other kids at the bus stop,” Saunders says. “You can even be across the street shooting, and the kids will be more comfortable because you’re not in their face with the camera.”

In fact, having a buddy or two incorporated into the shots is ideal for capturing the essence of your child. “Older kids, especially, would utterly die if their mom or dad were just following them around with a camera on the first day of school!” Saunders laughs. “But most kids are much better at being photographed if they’re with a friend or two—there's not as much pressure. You can get the kids walking to school together, or maybe after school (if your kid isn’t exactly a morning person) having a snack at your house."

Just make sure it’s a close friend they’re verbally sparring with or giving a friendly fist bump to in the schoolyard. “If it’s a kid they know well, they’ll interact more naturally,” says Saunders. “Plus, in this day and age, some parents are paranoid when they see a photographer pointing a camera in their kid’s direction, so make sure you’re familiar and comfortable with the parents of the kids you’re photographing and that they won’t mind.”

Creating these natural moments is possible even in the most routine venues—like in a big-box store shopping for school supplies, for instance. “I took some great shots of Nicholas studying his school supply list and trying to figure out what he needed,” says Saunders. “They were great candid shots, because to him it was fun, like he was on a treasure hunt.”

 

Images like this can also serve another purpose: showcasing the time period. “It documents what supplies your child was using that year,” Saunders explains. “So much has changed supply-wise since many of us went to school. You can see what’s popular, what’s fallen out of fashion. Even something as simple as picking out a lunchbox can evoke nostalgic memories—maybe it will remind you of the lunchbox you had when you were a kid.”

Other ways to add some history to your photos is to focus on other details, from the clothes your child is wearing to what kind of car you’re driving to school in. “That’s why I think it’s nice to have ‘stuff’ in the photos with them,” says Saunders. “They’re all documentations of lifestyles that are subject to change very quickly.”

 

Sometimes heading to the school grounds can add that nostalgic dimension to your images and allow you to set up a yearly ritual. “Many school buildings, especially ones that are recently constructed, will have the year they were built engraved in the tile or brick,” says Saunders. “You can have your child stand next to that tile year after year and watch as your child grows.”

 

Lighting needs to follow a similarly unobtrusive route. “Lighting is everything,” Saunders says. “I like to use natural lighting and incorporate some silhouettes, like the one I have of Nicholas walking down the hall at school.”

While Saunders acknowledges that many people prefer to shoot on automatic, she recommends a different method. “I have the old-school mindset of bracketing,” she says. “Our eyes may fool us into thinking the lighting is perfect, but it seldom is. So shoot an f-stop above and an f-stop below to get some dramatic looks.”

The vibration compensation on the 18-270mm lens enables you to shoot tack-sharp photos in practically any lighting situation. “In the old days, it would be hard to shoot at 1/30th of second shutter speed without shooting with a flash to get that natural, ambient-light look,” she says. “With the 18-270, you can shoot at slower shutter speeds. Some of these images I shot at 1/8 of a second, and they’re still really sharp. Plus, if a child sees a flash, they obviously know they’re getting their picture taken. So if you can shoot without a flash, that’s ideal. I set my ISO to a minimum of 400, but often I’ll have it at 800 or 1600.”

Look for unique ways to turn a clichéd image into an eye-catching one. “Some of the best shots result from just turning the camera vertically,” says Saunders. “We’re so used to shooting horizontally that we forget the camera can go vertically and actually make or break the shot.”

 

Coming down to the kids’ level is a must—especially with younger kids. “You get a different perspective that way,” says Saunders. “It encompasses the child and frames them in the shot more, so there’s a whole new emphasis. You could also try to shoot older children from above. On a good day, I might be 5'3", so while I’m not jumping up on chairs, I do look for places to stand. Many schools have these small walls in the courtyards and seating areas that are perfect for this.” 

 

Playing with shutter speeds can lead to creative captures as well. “I love slow shutter speeds,” says Saunders. “It changes the lighting, gives you movement, and gives you a whole different look—and that’s what grabs people. There are a couple of shots I have of Nicholas waving, for example, and his hand is blurred but you can make out his face. It’s an artsier look.”

Using the Tamron 11-18mm lens is another way Saunders captures the bigger picture. “This lens not only offers a wide-angle look, like if you’re trying to get the entire school bus or the entire name of the school on the building, but it also gives you a cool kind of distortion,” says Saunders.

Post-processing using Photoshop or Elements can turn a ho-hum image into a more dramatic one. “You can throw filters onto the shot to make it artsy, like a watercolor or posterization filter,” says Saunders. “Or you can convert files to black and white or sepia. It’s easy enough to go a photo kiosk and make your photos look really cool that way.”

 

Consider a special place to keep your back-to-school images. “Many of my clients like the published photo books (I call them ‘life books’),” says Saunders. “You can make a self-published book of their first-day adventures and hand it down through the years. You can do this every year and place these photo books on a bookshelf to look at long after the kids have headed back into the classroom. That’s phenomenal.”

To see more of Wendy Saunders’ work, go to www.wendysaunders.com.