Very ilustrative book. Fun to read. Excellent Photographers. But I would like to see more Digital Camera chapters and more studio pictures.

Parents love to take photos of kids, but too often the results are blurry and amateur. HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH CHILDREN: SECRETS FOR CAPTURING CHILDHOOD'S MAGIC MOMENTS is newly revised and updated and includes a new chapter on the latest digital photography trends, providing parents with clear advice on how to shoot indoors and out, and how to work with children at different age levels. Especially invaluable are series shots that explain the pros and cons of different techniques. Parents will find these examples lead to a better understanding of not just how to shoot better pictures, but the elements that make for a superior composition. Any general-interest collection catering to parents or amateur photographers will find this a popular choice.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is a nicely done book by Lisa Jane and Rick Staudt. If you have children to photograph and already understand the basics of photography, this is the book you should have. The photography is outstanding from both a technical and artistic standpoint. And, the ideas for making memorable photos are excellent.

An especially nice feature of this book is that it does not contain an excessive amount of technical information. It's more about impact and emotion (some call it vision) of the photos. This is a nice change from the typical book on photography which usually places the emphasis on the technical side of photography.

The only aspect about of the book of which the reader should be aware is the inclusion of several very high quality images that apparently were taken with a medium format camera and high-quality studio lighting. Because of this, an amateur photographer using a 35mm SLR camera (the typical situation for which this book apparently was written) might be given some false expectations about what is possible with their own equipment.

The above situation brings up an issue that I have with many photography books (most of which, incidentally, are not worth the paper upon which they're printed). This is the use of mostly medium- or large-format images in a book written for the 35mm SLR crowd. Apparently, the authors and publishers like to direct their books towards these people because this is the audience that can provide the largest volume in book sales. At the same time, however, their books incorporate mostly images taken with, for example, a 4x5 view camera, color transparancy film and a $2000+ lens. After all, great-looking images also helps to sell books! Flipping through the pages, the unfortunate reader is given the false impression that he'll be able to learn how to make the same type of wonderful, high-quality images after buying and reading the book. Unbeknownst to the reader, however, is the fact that those photos where not made with a 35mm SLR camera! And, no matter what brand of 35mm camera the reader uses (especially if equipped with a zoom telephoto lens and loaded with 400 speed color negative film) the image quality they can obtain will never begin to approach the clarity, sharpness and impact of those presented in the book they just bought!

This book was more than I had hoped. I bought it from another Amazon member and was pleasantly pleased at the response and customer service (having never bought from an individual online before).

When the book arrived I could not put it down. It was filled with great information and tips on photographing children as well as BEAUTIFUL photos. The photos were not only great shots of children, but also provided some posing samples to use as well.

I love this book and wish I could find more like it on adult posing.

This is an easy to read and useful book if you're either a parent trying to get good pictures of your children, or an aspiring photographer. It covers a wide range of topics such as lighting, props, location, equipment, etc. After reading this I find myself much more able to critique other's work because I feel I have a better idea of what goes into taking a good portrait. The tips in the book, as the authors even state, are applicable to adult subjects as well. I will say though, that the information is probably a little too low level for anyone who is already doing professional photography.