[cali92rs]

So, I have been tasked to photograph my 10 month old son so we can have pictures of him for his 1 year old birthday party...and to do a good job

Any tips? He isn't walking yet, but he crawls around like crazy and has a real hard time sitting still.

[CDW]

For a BD party you might consider a mix of stills and video, lots of low angle shots. You might even consider strapping a GoPro to him to give his view of the world. Use some simple editing program such as iMovie and you can create something far more entertaining than a collection of stills or 2-3 minutes of video only. The combination of both, snappy editing, adding some lively and appropriate music, keep it to 3-5 minutes and you'll create a winner.

[carrrlangas]

I don`t know if these will help but here are my thoughts:
- It won`t be comfortable but I`d lay down on the floor so the camera sees the way he sees.
- Open the windows so there`s plenty of natural light and can avoid use of flash which could distract him or get him in a bad humor.
- Prepare the scene so that he can go freely without you worrying.

[promacjoe]

My thoughts exactly. Get yourself a 90° viewfinder. You will find it very helpful when down on the ground, or using it on a tripod. It can save your back.

[cali92rs]

Cool suggestions :-)
I haven't thought of strapping a gopro on him, that would be interesting

[K McCall]

I have a 2-year-old and a 4-month-old. Allow me to say that it only gets MUCH harder to take their pictures once they can run!

For the age you have, I found having a distraction behind me, in my general direction worked best to get those typical, photo-shoot shots (as opposed to candids). Make sure your background is clean/nice (no neon toys back there to distract the viewer's eye), work at times when your kid is on is best behavior (this tends to be morning for us, right after a nap and a feeding), as someone else said, get down LOW so that you get a nicer background and a more even distribution of features. You can wave a new colorful toy around with your left while you snap with your right, or have someone standing directly behind your shoulder making funny faces and noises to capture their attention.

The biggest one is just to relax, do a few shots, then let him explore. Then start all over again. If it's not going well, shelf it for an hour or a day. Give yourself plenty of leeway. Remember you only REALLY need one great shot - all the rest is cute filler!

[gor80]

Kids - it's fine, especially when they are still small, they grow virtually every month, and every month, you can make new photos, I hope. You good shots of your child!

[rburgoss]

This type of pictures are the ones that show the invaluable advantage of s tiltable screen as the one on the MX-1 or X-5 compacts. You can work at ground level and shoot around using camera as if with full size waist level finder. Add a short stool with swivel caster wheels and you will have the perfect photo gear kit for chasing crawlers, toddlers and even small pets.

[interested_observer]

Initially, I though - Neat! Someone got some shots of some big earth moving equipment. Scrapers and Dozers - a big D9, a bright yellow CAT. Just goes to show that when your "crawlers" are 27 and 25 (years), your perspective changes a bit.

[JibbaJab]

Initially, I though - Neat! Someone got some shots of some big earth moving equipment. Scrapers and Dozers - a big D9, a bright yellow CAT. Just goes to show that when your "crawlers" are 27 and 25 (years), your perspective changes a bit.

FWIW, despite having preschoolers my initial thought was, "Sweet, is someone photographing a zombie run?"

[cali92rs]

Initially, I though - Neat! Someone got some shots of some big earth moving equipment. Scrapers and Dozers - a big D9, a bright yellow CAT. Just goes to show that when your "crawlers" are 27 and 25 (years), your perspective changes a bit.

Nope...just a 10 month old.
But your idea sounds cooler. There is a CAT factory about 20 miles from here that i have always wanted to scrounge around!