Photography on Charity Event for Physically Challeneged

[colors]

<p>Hi All,<br>

I am volunteering a charity event for physically & mentally challenged people. I am also been requested to photograph the event. The event is a canal ride for the clients on day time on a river. I would also be helping the challenged clients on the trip. So I will not be having 100% time to concentrate on photos.</p>

<p>My questions are below.<br>

1) Need to get beautiful snaps of these God’s children on the event. I would like to take portraits, groups and click games on the event – Please suggest any tips to photograph the challenged clients.<br>

2) Will not have much time to experiments on the settings apart from focusing. – Need suggestions on settings, changing lens, etc. (I have Canon 450D, 18-55 and 55-250 Canon lenses)</p>

<p>My questions may be immature and think. Please ignore that give me some good suggestions.</p>

[laurent-paul]

<p><strong>Please suggest any tips to photograph the challenged clients</strong></p>

<p>Kabilan, your clients are people, and as is the case for any good portrait, you need to know who is the person you want to photograph.</p>

<p>If you don't know any of the persons you will have to photograph during the event, it may be a good idea to spend at least a couple of days before the event in order to meet them, spend some time with them, so that during the event, knowing them a little bit better, you won't have to think about the "right" photo : you'll just know it.</p>

 

[brett_w.]

<p>I would photograph them like anything else, being mentally or physically challenged would probably doesn't change the way you photograph them. Use your 18-55IS for short distances and the 55-250IS for longer distances. Knowing the right aperture, shutter speed and ISO can make a big difference but if you just got your camera and are not familiar with the controls then use "P" or auto mode - <strong>practice helps</strong>. Lighting can also affect pic quality so get an external flash, otherwise keep the sun to your back !</p>

<p> </p>

[john_macpherson]

<p>With all due respect, and speaking as someone who combined working as a professional photographer (30 years) with a job as a Social Worker in disability services co-running an outdoors programme for over 20 years, I can only suggest that you choose to do one or the other.</p>

<p>If you want to properly look after the clients and ensure their safety and that they have a good time, forget the photography. If you want to ensure good pictures that do these folks justice, forget being a helper.</p>

<p>The secret to photographing these folks is to not do anything silly, just treat them as normal folks doing normal stuff that all the rest of us do (and take for granted).</p>

<p>With regards to the photography - forget the longer lens, it will be a hassle to change lenses, especially around water, and the extra lens is more junk to look after. One lens is just fine, wide angle, just be up close and intimate and part of the action. Get pics of enjoyment, of fear, of trust, of endurance, grit and determination, and smiles and laughter. All the good stuff basically!</p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>The original question shows a lot of interest in the photos. Maybe you should get the event set so that you can concentrate on pictures.</p>

<p>If they're playing, how about some pictures with a smiling face filling the frame?<br /> This canal ride, is it a quiet event? Does this mean that there will be nice scenery instead of a lively children's playtime? If so, then it would almost beg for having a second boat: photo of them in their boat, with the scenery around them, and so on; all of that made from an adjacent boat so that you could include some water in the foreground or around your topic people. </p>

<p>Driving idea there would be for a photo which had water in the foreground, maybe a boat gun'ale, and then a person seated, with scenery around. The idea would be to include some of the foreground water to show the boat on the water more, and to separate this from a regular sit-down photo which could be made just about anywhere.</p>

<p>Chief trouble with boat-borne camera setups is getting someone else to operate that camera boat. Or, how about just coming up with a list of photo ideas, based on shape, based on the idea that the pictures would probably be made from inside the same boat as the people? These would basically be person-sitting-in-a-chair type shots. Their presence on "the boat", as an idea, might not contribute that much to the composition.</p>

<p>Well, that's the type of thing I would want to do. As you can see just from that idea, I tend to want to get over-involved sometimes.</p>

<p>Ask yourself: just how die-hard am I about making this photo? <br /> Is it: I have just got to have the best web page I can build with those kids on it so that they can click on it all day and have fun?<br /> Or, is it: Looks like a nice outing for the kids. Probably ought to make some pictures.</p>

<p>Your commitment to getting the photos done will help you gauge your participation in the event. As with the people before me, I'd say either watch the kids and participate, or get yourself socially separated from the group enough to be as insane as you like with getting the pictures done.</p>

<p>My guess is that a nice day with some snaps would satisfy most people for good reason. Maybe try that.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>

<p>"The event is a canal ride for the clients on day time on a river. I would also be helping the challenged clients on the trip. So I will not be having 100% time to concentrate on photos."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Sounds like a potential safety hazard. Being on a river with energetic kids, lots of distractions. No way I'd want to do anything other than concentrate on my primary assignment, whatever that may be.</p>

<p>If you are not 100% comfortable with your camera and can use it intuitively without thinking or messing with the controls, leave the camera at home. At most, take a simple point and shoot for snaps.</p>

<p>Another alternative: Buy a bunch of inexpensive 35mm P&S cameras and pass them around to the kids. Let them photograph each other. I've done this several times at family events and am continually amazed at how good their photos can be. Besides being on a more natural physical level (adults tend to aim downward at kids), kids also relate to each other very naturally and their expressions are often more natural or exuberant.</p>