Timing is Everything

Timing is everything, but remember to have FUN! In photography, knowing when to snap is just as important as knowing what to snap. One summer I visited family in Cleveland, Ohio. We spent a lot of time around the pool. The kids were jumping in the pool one at a time, two at a time, and all at once. When I snapped this picture, they had climbed out of the pool to jump in again and just happened to form a line in descending order by height.

I asked them to stay as I took a “before” picture. Then I struggled to capture them as they were jumping in. It took a few tries to get this right. I snapped too soon, then too late. They didn't mind hurdling themselves into the water again and again. After I got this shot, we started playing with the jumping theme and attempted to capture other moments of them in the air. Some turned out and some didn't, but we all had fun. Fun is the key. If you try too hard to get that spontaneous shot, it looks forced or staged. Just enjoy the moment and if you happen to have a camera, take a few pictures as they play. Kids love to see themselves in action.

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Excerpt from: Moments in Time Captured Forever; You Don't Need a Good Camera to Take Good Pictures.