What Pictures Should Be Taken at a Kid's Birthday Party?
- Photograph the party table before guests sit down.Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
Take artistic or scene-setting pictures before the guests arrive. Tight, full-frame images of wrapped presents, cake close-ups and balloons add variety to a birthday party photo album or slideshow. Take an overall picture of the decorated venue or room before the party gets underway. - Shoot continuously as guests hand over gifts.Dynamic Graphics/Creatas/Getty Images
As the children arrive at the party, snap each guest handing over her present to the birthday child. If presents are opened as soon as they are received, keep shooting and capture the moment the gift is revealed. This also provides parents with a discreet record of who gave what, helping with thank you notes later. - Capture the entertainer and audience in the same image.Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images
Children's entertainers are often on hand before their performances. If you have a magician or clown mingling with the kids making balloon animals, follow him around with your camera and take candid shots from the children's perspectives. Switch your camera to continuous mode, which automatically captures three or four frames at a time instead of one, to catch smiles and laughter from the kids as the entertainer takes to the stage. Context is the key to a great party photograph, so take photos of the entertainer, but position your camera angle to capture reactions from the audience at the same time. - Photograph guests as they mingle.Todd Warnock/Lifesize/Getty Images
Capture groups of children as they interact, socialize and play party games. Once the party is underway and the children are sitting down, candid shots of guests eating, chatting and wearing party hats capture the moment. A pinata provides an exciting photo opportunity, so move in as close as possible to grab an action shot. - Position yourself near to the birthday cake for a clear shot.Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
The birthday cake ceremony of blowing out the candles is a highlight of a kid's birthday party, and usually occurs at the end of the event. Young guests are very excitable and will jostle for prime position near to the action, so shoot from a higher viewpoint than the kids to avoid waving arms from obscuring your shot or knocking the camera. Use continuous mode for general shots of guests singing "Happy Birthday" and the blowing out of the candles to ensure that you do not miss anything. - Photograph the mess after your kid's party.Todd Warnock/Lifesize/Getty Images
When the party is over, take a final overall picture of the venue, party table and the birthday child. This type of image provides a great closing shot in a birthday photo album. Kids' birthday parties inevitably culminate in a sea of discarded wrapping paper, hats and debris, but the scene also makes a great fun photo.
