Children's Photography

I was lucky enough to do my first children's photo shoot with an adorable almost one-year-old little girl name Aubrey. She was the cutest thing I'd ever seen and she was a pleasure to be able to photograph. Her photography location was Memorial Garden - Concord, NC.

Taking photographs of children is a challenge and there are a few rules that are just a given that you must follow:

1. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting dirty.

With Aubrey, I was done on the ground with her shooting photos, standing in water to get the right shot, and being anywhere and everywhere I needed to be to get some great shots of her.

2. Always have the parent or guardian bring the child's favorite toy and/or snack to combat fussiness.

You can see Aubrey brought her doll for comfort

3. Always be prepared to capture the little moments.

Sometimes its hard to get a child to pose, but if you stand back and let the child interact with the setting, you can usually snap the cutest moments.

4. If you don't know the child, get to know the child.

Photographers do not always know the child or the family they are shooting. So, it is important to build a trust with the child before shooting. Luckily, I am related to Aubrey and have seen her at the few family functions she has attended in her short life. But, I still let her get to know me again. I helped her walk around, talked to her, and really encouraged her to smile.

5. Make the photo shoot fun!

You've already seen the photo of Aubrey splashing in the water, but I was also fortunate enough to snap some other photos of her for her 1st Birthday! We set up a mock birthday party set on the stone seating/entrance to Memorial Garden.

Being a photographer and photographing children takes a lot of patience, time management, and the ability to take each moment at a time. You never know when you're going to get the child that's going to do all the wrong things during the session, but as a photographer, you need to know all the right things to do in order to stay cool and get the photos.

Starting with my five tips for successful children's photography, you can mold those tips with your own experiences and attitude to get the most out of photography your children or the children of others.

Memorial Garden - Concord, NC

Located in the heart of downtown Concord, NC, the Memorial Garden is truly a beautiful place to go take photographs or even just to visit. You enter the Gardens through the first wonderful photo spot at this venue: the Front Gate.


You are able to take all kinds of wonderful photographs at this location. The rock backdrop is perfect to let colors pop or to just have a good time!

As soon as you enter the Garden, you see that this place also doubles as a graveyard. Don't worry the weathered and aged graves do not give the venue a completely spooky look. Everywhere you look there are flowers, greenery, and other sculptures.

To your left, there is a nice fountain with a lion head sculpture:

Just past the lion head sculpture, you will come to the Garden's most photographed area:

This tree trunk chair is a popular spot for everyone to shoot at least one photo. The chair is an interesting feature that you don't find most places.

Further into the Garden, you will come across a large fountain and tulip garden. Keep in mind that the tulips are only in bloom during the spring, but in the off season they keep this area well stocked with nice flowers.

Fountain with tulips

Heather by the fountain

Off season with no tulips

Also, adjacent to the fountain is a memorial area with another fountain, vines, and benches. My first visit to the Memorial Garden this area was being used by a bride and her family for photos. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a photo of their use because of the enormous amount of people they had accompanying them to the photo shoot.

Finally, this brings us to my absolute favorite part of the Garden, the lily pad pond. Every chance that I get, I take my subject to this location for a few shots.

Heather

Aubrey

The Memorial Garden of Concord has so much more to offer than what I've included as highlights here. With a little creativity some truly unique shots can be taken here.

When taking photographs at the Memorial Garden, be sure to arrive early or wait until later in the day to go. The trees cast harsh shadows when the sun is higher in the sky. Because the hours of operation for the Garden is limited, sometimes the conditions are not ideal, but this doesn't mean that taking photographs here is impossible. During my visit, at least 50 people were touring the Garden and taking photographs.

Family photography

Keep in mind that the Memorial Garden of Concord has a few rules for visitors that include staying off of the grass and out of the flower beds, as well as, no pets, no radios, and no touching the tombstones. These are only a few of the rules and prior to visiting everyone should read the complete list of Garden rules.

Hours of Operation:
Tuesday – Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Closed Monday

Be sure to check out this venue:

36 Spring Street SW
Concord, NC 28025
(704) 786-8009