Better Photos of Cherished Days: Taking Clear Child Pics

Collaborative post by another author.

Image of children looking at the camera with lenses. Stock image by Antoni Shkraba from Pexels

You can avoid grainy photos with these tips

There's nothing quite like capturing those priceless moments of your kiddos growing up. But, let's face it, it's a real bummer when those precious snaps turn out grainy. Well, don't fret! We're here to arm you with some nifty tricks to avoid and fix it.

Where Does the Graininess In Photographs Come From?

Digital noise, or, in layman's terms, graininess, usually appears because of the following factors:

Low Light: That’s the usual suspect. When shooting in low light, the camera's sensor cranks up its sensitivity to make up for the lack of light. But this can leave you with a grainy mess, just like any artificial enhancement.

High ISO: ISO is like the volume knob for brightness. You turn it up – your photos get brighter. But, just like turning up the volume too high, this can give you image distortion.

Two children hugging in a high noise photo. Edited stock image from Unsplash Chayene Rafaela

Simple tips will help you get better photographs

Not-So-Great Sensors: Not all cameras are made equal. Some, especially the oldies or the budget-friendly ones, have sensors that are a bit more grain-prone but are cheaper to make.

Overediting: Going overboard with the editing, especially with sharpening and contrast, can add unwanted noise.

Long Exposure: Long exposure shots, especially in low light, can also end up grainy. That's because the sensor gets hot during long exposures, which can add noise.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging: HDR is like making a photo sandwich with several shots of the same scene at different exposures. But if you don't get it just right, you can end up with a grainy sandwich.

Dealing with Graininess

There are plenty of tricks and tools to help you dodge and fix this issue. So, let’s look at some of them.

Dodging

Make sure your subject is lit up like a Christmas tree. Natural light is your best friend, but if you're indoors, don't skimp on the artificial lighting.

Try to keep your camera's ISO setting on the down-low. Higher ISOs make the sensor more sensitive to light, which can lead to more grain.

A tripod is like a rock - steady and reliable. If your subject can stay still a tripod lets you use a slower shutter speed without causing blur, reducing the need for a high ISO setting.

Fixing

Screenshot from PhotoWorks photo editing tool

Editing portraits in PhotoWorks

Got a noisy photo anyways? No sweat! There are plenty of software tools that can help you smooth out the graininess in your photos. Let’ see how you can fix grainy photos with PhotoWorks:

Fire up PhotoWorks and open your grainy photo.
Head over to the 'Tools' tab and look for the 'Noise Reduction' section.
Tweak the slider to reduce graininess. But remember – don't overdo it or you'll lose detail in your photo.
Once you're happy with the result, hit 'Apply' and save your work.

Grainy photos can be a real downer, but knowing what causes them and how to dodge and fix them can seriously level up your photography game. With the right moves and tools, you can make sure your kiddo's priceless moments are captured in all their glory. And remember, practice makes perfect, so keep clicking and playing around with different settings and conditions.