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How to take pictures of children at playgrounds (lifestyle presentations/school events)

Photographing children's events held indoors, such as playgrounds (lifestyle presentations/school events), is a highly difficult shooting if you are not used to it because children who are moving even though the place is dark are subjects.

The amusement party is not only on stage, but I think there are various scenes where people are photographed, such as taking a group photo while wearing a costume after preparation, etc., but this time I will mainly introduce techniques for shooting on stage.

table of contents

The most important thing in shooting an amusement party is “preparation”

Things to keep in mind when shooting an amusement party and how to target

[Point] Check your child's standing position and movements on the stage

[Point] Pay attention to the darkness of the venue/stage

[Point] Check the standards for camera settings

[Point] Pay attention to the camera battery

[Point] Decide in advance whether to take a photo or a video

Don't focus too much on shooting, enjoy it with the naked eye

The most important thing in shooting an amusement party is “preparation”

As can be said not only for amusement parties, but for all shoots, the most important thing in order to leave good photos and videos is “preparation.”
When shooting in a dark room, such as an amusement party, where there is a large audience and they are unable to move, it is a good idea to take on the challenge of shooting while checking and paying attention to the following points beforehand.

Check whether the location where you can shoot has been decided (presence or absence of a camera seat)
The location of the camera seat (distance from the stage, etc.)
Your child's standing position and movements on stage
Preparation and confirmation of shooting equipment

These points will be explained in detail below.

[Point] Check the location of the camera seat (shooting seat) and the distance to the stage

When shooting an amusement party, there is often a certain distance between the audience seats and the stage. Even if the camera seat is in the front row, there are many cases where a lens with a standard zoom range, which is not a telephoto lens, is not compatible when taking pin shots of children. (Use a standard lens when you want to capture the entire stage or the atmosphere around your child)

Therefore, if you want to take a pin shot of your child, it is essential to prepare a telephoto lens. We recommend lenses in the zoom range called “70-200mm F2.8” or “70-200mm F4” as standard telephoto lenses in most cases. (Brighter F2.8 lenses are cleaner in dark places, have less blurring, and are easier to shoot, but they are more expensive than F4 lenses.)

Also, it is also assumed that camera seats that can be photographed are far from the stage, such as “stage → audience seat (seated) → shooting seat (standing)”, etc.

If the distance to the stage is very far, it depends on the number of rows of seats (seats), but with a telephoto lens such as 70-200mm, there is a possibility that the child will not be able to zoom sufficiently, so a lens compatible with telephoto greater than that is necessary.

For example, if it's a Canon RF lens, when it comes to telephoto lenses that are higher than that

RF100-300mm F2.8 L IS USM
RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM (Since the F value is a dark lens, this lens is difficult to use only when the stage is very bright. (Recommended for shooting outdoor sports days, etc.)

Examples include, but since they are extremely expensive, there is also a way to rent equipment according to the schedule of the amusement party.
The companies famous for renting shooting equipment are as follows.

Also, if there are 2 or more rows of seated camera seats, and the height of the chairs in the 1st row and after the 2nd row is the same, it is very difficult to take pictures in the 2nd row or more because the camera in front is affected. (Excluding cases where the height of the stage is 1 meter or more, etc.)

Especially recently, there have been an increasing number of cases where people shoot with a smartphone or camera at a higher position than the face instead of looking at the viewfinder, so when shooting from a chair in the 2nd row or later, it is very easy to wear this camera in addition to the head in front.

In that case, if you are unable to take the first row, you can also choose to shoot from the front row of the standing seat if shooting is possible even while standing behind the seat.

[Point] Check your child's standing position and movements on the stage

Once you have confirmed the position of the camera seat, the next step is to check the standing position of your own child on the stage, which is the main subject of photography. There are many cases where the details are not listed in advance materials distributed at kindergartens and preschools, but we recommend that you understand the Tokyo location by interviewing children beforehand.
In some cases, the standing position is determined for each group, and that group may also be described in the materials.

Also, if you know in advance what kind of movements you will perform on the stage, it will be helpful for deciding where to shoot. (Is it just alternating back and forth, is it spinning round and round on stage, etc.)

That said, the shooting location doesn't necessarily have to be in front of your child, and you don't need to worry too much about where your child stands. Since the stage and camera seat are separated to some extent, there are few cases where shooting is impossible without sitting in the exact opposite direction.

There is no problem with the level of perception that “it is ideal if you know it beforehand.”

However, it's best to avoid extreme shooting from the edge.
It's a good idea to decide the location while thinking, “Even if you look at it with the naked eye, it's likely that you can see other children's hands, bodies, costumes, etc. without touching your own child.”

[Point] Pay attention to the darkness of the venue/stage

It depends on the kindergarten/preschool, but in some cases the stage may be dark, so we recommend using lenses that are as bright as possible.

A “bright lens” is one with a smaller number (F value) described after F, such as “RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM,” “RF70-200mm F4 L IS USM,” and “RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM,” is called a “bright lens.” There are no clear standards, but when shooting indoors, such as playgrounds, the ideal is to use an F2.8 lens if it is a zoom lens. However, there are many cases where bright lenses are expensive, so it's a good idea to consider them while looking at your budget. (Basically, you should be able to shoot without problems even with an F4 lens if you raise the ISO sensitivity.)

Also, when two types of numbers are written after “F”, such as “F3.5-6.3,” the F value becomes F3.5 when not zoomed (wide end), and changes to F6.3 when everything is zoomed (TV end). On stage, it is possible to almost always shoot near the end of the television. Therefore, since it is actually a very dark lens with F6.3, it is difficult to use in dark rooms.

In some cases, the venue may have bright lights that are different from usual, so if you are concerned, it is a good idea to check with your kindergarten/preschool teacher beforehand.

Flash (strobe) is not recommended

There are also people who are shooting videos, so if the flash is reflected in the video over and over again, it may interfere with video shooting.

Also, since recent cameras have excellent high sensitivity resistance, it is easier to take a more natural picture with only the light on the spot without using a flash.

I don't recommend a tripod

In the case of photography, if you're not used to a tripod and it's not a tripod suitable for shooting, or if you're not used to taking photos with a tripod, camera work will be difficult, and conversely, there is a high possibility that shooting will become difficult.
We recommend that you don't use a tripod for photography, especially if it's an inexpensive tripod.

Even when shooting videos, if you're not used to a tripod, you can definitely follow your child by shooting with your hand, so we recommend using a video camera with a strong image stabilization function to shoot with your hand.
When shooting videos, it's good when leaving the camera at a fixed point, etc.

Also, fundamentally, there are many kindergartens and preschools where tripods are prohibited due to the fact that they take up space. Even if it's not prohibited, there are many cases where camera seats are extremely narrow, and you probably won't even be able to spread the legs of a tripod except when you're in the front row of a seat.

Tripod work was unexpectedly difficult, and it also happened that I concentrated so much on tripod work that I didn't watch the amusement party with the naked eye.

I think the most important thing is not to take pictures or videos of your child, but to see your child's clear appearance with the naked eye.

[Point] Check the standards for camera settings

As a guide, the shutter speed is 1/160 to 1/320 or higher

Children on stage are expected to perform various movements. Therefore, when shooting, it is necessary to shoot at a somewhat high shutter speed.
We recommend prioritizing shutter speed or shooting in sport mode. If you get used to it, a manual would be fine.

When setting the shutter speed by prioritizing shutter speed, etc., 1/160 to 1/320 or higher are used as a guide.
However, in the case of 1/160, there is a possibility that subject blurring will occur if the child moves a lot, so be careful. Let's adjust it by looking at the balance between ISO sensitivity.

Aperture is F2.8 or higher (narrow down slightly if you can afford it)

If the subject is only one of your own children, considering the ISO sensitivity relationship, in some cases, it may be compatible at around F2.8. However, if you have time, it's a good idea to narrow it down a bit and shoot. However, by forcibly narrowing it down, considering subject blurring or noise caused by increasing ISO sensitivity too much, we recommend shooting with the aperture open to some extent.

When the F value is low, the background is more likely to be blurred, but since there is only 1 subject, it is thought that there is no particular problem for other children in the back of the child to appear blurry.

ISO sensitivity is 1600 to 4000

The allowable range of ISO sensitivity varies depending on the compatible camera.
If it is a modern camera, the noise is often inconspicuous even between ISO3200 and 4000, so it's a good idea to check the allowable range of your own camera beforehand.

ISO sensitivity does not necessarily need to be increased, but if sensitivity needs to be increased in balance with the shutter speed and F value described above, there will be no problem with increasing sensitivity mercilessly.
(When comparing some noise with the presence or absence of subject blurring, I think a photo with little subject blur would be good...)

White balance is “auto” (if you're used to it, you can set it manually or use RAW development to support it)

The color temperature fluctuates greatly depending on the light source on the stage, so if you are unsure, we recommend auto.

If you are used to shooting with a manual, there are many cases where the white balance is appropriate around 3300K if the tungsten light source is on stage, and around 5000 to 5500K in the case of an LED or fluorescent light.

Also, if you are using a computer or software that supports RAW development, you can finish a better photo by adjusting the white balance and overall brightness after shooting in RAW.

I don't recommend a tripod

Here are the reasons why we don't recommend a tripod.

Tripod work was unexpectedly difficult, and it also happened that I concentrated so much on tripod work that I didn't watch the amusement party with the naked eye.

I think the most important thing is not to take pictures or videos of your child, but to see your child's clear appearance with the naked eye.

[Point] Be careful with the camera battery and memory card

While shooting a game session, it may run out midway depending on how much battery is left. Be sure to fully charge it the day before.

Also, it is conceivable to shoot a lot. If the memory card becomes full during shooting, you will not be able to shoot. Be sure to move the data to a computer or prepare a spare memory card by the day before.

[Point] Decide in advance whether to take a photo or a video

We recommend that you decide in advance who will be in charge of taking pictures or videos with your mom and dad.

If there is only one person in charge of photography, it is a good idea to decide whether to mainly shoot photos or videos.

It's a rare case, but if it's OK to bring in a tripod, the method of shooting a photo while placing it on a tripod (slightly pulling so that children can move) while shooting is also compatible if it's in the front row.

Don't focus too much on shooting, enjoy it with the naked eye

The above is how to take children's stage photos at the amusement party.

As is the case with me, once I go into “shooting mode,” I inevitably concentrate too much on shooting. I also described it in the text, but I hope you can not only see your child doing their best through the viewfinder, but also burn it into your eyes with the naked eye.