Photographing Children Photo Workshop by Allison Tyler Jones, Ginny Felch (2008, Paperback)

This is one of the first books in the digital area that I think would make a great gift for new parents. It is really a guide and work shop (that means you have assignments to do) that clearly shows how to capture kids. It is directed to professional and mentions how to deal with parents but it is not weighed down with complex charts and graphs. The author talks about NIK and Photoshop but avoids RAW files. On page 28 there is a neat chart and explanation of the symbols that are found on most point and shoot cameras. The explanations are direct and make sense. Following the explanations are assignments with good photographic examples. Lighting, posing and composition are all covered with easy explanations. However if you were to go into a book store and thumb through this book and happened to stop at page 65 fig 4-2 you might just put the book down. Overexposed and washed out with a title of using soft setting sun. But, if you put it back, you would be missing an excellent workshop book. There are lots of really excellent photographs that capture the innocence and beauty of children in a book designed to be read without all the technical gobbledygook.
Tom Red