The field of child photography is challenging but also both enjoyable and profitable - if you like children. Don't bother pretending, if you really don't. You may fool a parent - but not the little one.

Tips to help are: The techniques used in most other fields of photography do not always apply in child photography. The phrase "hold it" or "freeze" carry very little weight with children. They typically do as they please and if they please. Your assignment is to anticipate what a child may be about to do and capture it.

As children will not always cooperate with what you want, you need to use your imagination to get them to be at their best. Use their behavior to your advantage. If a child is being uncooperative, try telling him to do the opposite of what you want, expecting him to try to thwart your plans. There is nothing wrong with tricking a child as long as you get the shots you need.

Before booking photography sessions with children, you need to know both your camera equipment inside and out and what your own capabilities are in being able to get the best possible pictures. When photographing children, 100% of your focus is needed; there is no time to figure out the best lighting or what your camera can and can't do. Children's level of focus in a photography session can be limited at best thus you need to take complete advantage of the time you have to get their undivided attention to get the pictures you need. Rushing a child into what you want is also not the best approach. Getting their cooperation is key and that is best achieved when all attention is directed towards them.

Know your subjects - With children, you must expect the unexpected. At different ages children are capable of doing different things. The more you know what they typically do during some of these stages, the better images you are going to capture. And the happier you make your clients - which, in turn, makes you financially happy.

Photographing children will yield a fantastic array of poses: you can expect multiple expressions, behaviors and poses all in one session. You likely will never get the same when photographing other subjects; children are unique in this regard and the more you know about handling them when taking their picture, the better shots you will get. Kids come in all shapes and sizes. It is important to know the child's limitations and not push them past them. Don't expect a 6-month-old baby to have the stamina of a 2-year-old. Learn to appreciate the differences in children for taking great photographs.

Listening to the parent can help toward a successful session. You can learn specific things about their child that will make it or break it: Are they afraid of certain things or sounds? What are their special likes? Do they like books? How comfortable are they with a stranger approaching them? You do NOT want to spook a little one; the scheduled time may not allow for you to win their confidence.

Above all else, get your camera ready to go - second chances to capture an impromptu moment don't come around very often (if at all) when photographing children.

Forget about the use of a tripod in a photo session with a child- it will only get in the way especially as things start to happen quickly. Make sure your camera is on a fast shutter speed (to prevent blurring) at all times; you never know what a child is going to do next and you must be ready to capture it no matter what.

There is no limit to what you can capture in a shot when photographing children; it can be anything from climbing on or out of something, to taking their shoes and socks off. The more experience you gain photographing children, the more you will know what works for different age groups.

There is no question that photographing children is a challenge. And just when you might start to feel comfortable doing it, along comes a new challenge - multiple subjects. Dealing with twins, triplets, etc. will really test your skills as child photographer! But don't worry, this is part of the job and over time you will learn tricks to keeping all your subjects engaged.

If you are not using a digital camera to capture a child on film, you may be in trouble. You need the simplicity and speed of the digital camera to be able to both look at the photos as you go and to also capture children's attention. Keep in mind their attention span comes and goes very quickly and there are no second chances in getting that "perfect photo a second time. Sometimes it helps to use something they haven't seen to capture their attention. Don't overuse this trick because children will tire of it quickly.

As you advance in child photography you will want a lighting set-up and a backdrop. A three light set-up - consisting of a main light fill light and a background light - is ideal. However if you are just beginning you can do great photography with a lot less. Experiment, and add as needed. If you are using a backdrop keep the child at least four feet from the backdrop (if possible). This eliminates shadows and prevents the backdrop from competing with your subject.

Lighting and backdrops can be particularly useful when photographing children. The more experienced you become, the more comfortable you will feel in introducing these elements into the photography session with a child. Even is not using these tools, you can still take quality photographs nonetheless. You can always experiment, though a three-light set-up (consisting of a main light and back light) are ideal.

Items to have on hand: Depending on the ages and whether you are shooting indoors or outdoors you need a supply of items to catch and keep their interest and that look great in a photo: rattles feather dusters soft toys dolls hats mirrors a telephone (the bigger the better) a big whistle duplicate toys (for twins & overly competitive little ones) treats & snacks