Pictures of Nephews

My wife and I were supposed to babysit my sister's kids tonight.  My wife was called into a pretty important, spur of the moment meeting this evening, stopping her from being able to do so.  So, I watched two kids, both under four, by myself.  It actually went a lot better than it could have, but still, they are crazy.  My intention was to get some good shots of the both of them while my wife actually kept them from being destructive...she failed me and my photo hopes by not being there.  This meant that instead of getting some shots of both kids, I only got a few shots, and I only got one of the two.  The younger of the two is much slower, allowing me to jump from behind the camera to whatever was about to be knocked over and then back behind the camera for another shot.  I wouldn't have had the same luck with the faster child.

Dark Eyes

This kid allowed me a few seconds of motionlessness.  Only a few.  At least he actually looked at the camera during those few and far between seconds.

Pastel

The softer colors work well for children.  Harsh colors and sharp edges conflict with their so called "innocence".   I wasn't as much a fan of this shot as my wife seems to be...it's a tad too centered for my liking. But hey, he's cute.

 Preoccupied

I think the best shots of children are taken when they are busy doing something besides posing.  A nice 85mm lens will catch the emotion of the situation without having to include the slobbery sippy cup or the stained and shredded stuffed animal they've had forever.  Sometimes I disregard this entirely.  That stained stuffed animal might be their favorite toy and should definitely be a part of the photo.