Candids of children at Bunnyland

[Mike Buckley]

I don't do this style of photography often but it's always enjoyable when it occasionally happens.


Photo #1: "I've got hay under my clothes."



Photo #2



Photo #3



Photo #4

[rpcrowe]

That first image is priceless. I always worry about shooting someone else's children because I don't want to be considered "Chester the Molester" by the parents...

[KimC]

Really love the first image Mike -- it captures a child just perfectly!

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Brownbear]

I adore your images of children for the moments captured. For me the 1st image is especially, special!

[IzzieK]

My preference is #1 and #3 ... #1 for that un-posed shot and #3 for the lighting on her face....Good ones, Mike, you did well.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to everyone!

The first one is also my favorite of the day. I was spending quite a lot of time following her with the camera hoping to get a shot of her throwing hay onto the stack. I never got a really good one of her doing that but she gave me this present instead.

[Stagecoach]

Good set Mike, taking candids of children can be very rewarding but unfortunately these days in so many places it's frowned upon. Although I have never come across any concerns voiced out here coming from the UK I'm well aware of the views and attitudes to it.

Oh, and No 1 is the obvious winner here.

[bnnrcn]

Very nice series Mike, my best is #1 too

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Grahame and Binnur.

Some comments have understandably been made about the sensitivity of photographing young children. When the event is for children, such as this event, there are lots of children and every adult is using either a camera, cell phone or tablet to take photos of the children in their care if not other children as well. That makes it virtually impossible most of the time to know who is taking pictures of which children or which children belong to which adults unless one takes the time to study the interaction between children and adults. If we do that, we usually lose the best shots.

In a more isolated situation that allows me to more easily identify the adult taking care of the child, I usually either ask the adult for permission before taking the child's picture, show the adult the picture after I take it, or both. When making close-ups such as the last photo, I would always do that but didn't need to in this case because the child is my nephew in my care. If the child had not been in my care and if the child had been old enough to talk, I would have asked the child for permission as well.

[JamesScott86]

My goodness - stunning images.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, James!

[deetheturk]

Wonderful images Mike, before I left Scotland you were not allowed to take images or video of your grandchildren, or children for that matter, at the school Christmas panto

Political correctness gone mad

[LouiseTopp]

That first image is priceless. I always worry about shooting someone else's children because I don't want to be considered "Chester the Molester" by the parents...

Sadly that's the way society is going now.

[Mike Buckley]

before I left Scotland you were not allowed to take images or video of your grandchildren, or children for that matter, at the school Christmas panto

Is that because you would have been competing with images an official photographer of the event was hoping to sell or because there was concern for the childrens' safety?

[deetheturk]

Hi Mike, there was no official photographer there, for child safety reasons, just a very sad sign of the times!

[Texas Dave]

I like the last photo the best. I like the warmth and the smile of the child. Plus I'm an antique tractor enthusiast and use to own an Allis Chalmers.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Dave! I hope you have been able to combine your interests in photography and antique tractors.

[Texas Dave]

Thanks, Dave! I hope you have been able to combine your interests in photography and antique tractors.

Nope! I've had to many irons in the fire to play with the tractors over the last few years. The three vintage tractors I've own have been an 1948 Allis Chalmers G, a 1935 four bolt pedistal brass tag John Deere B and I still own and work on a 1958 Ford Work Master. I have some old snapshots of antique tractors from the antique tractor shows but non that impressive. That was 10 years ago. I was thinking the other day of how interesting it would be to photograph an event like this. Most often the kindest folks are these old farmers that polish old iron for the shows. ...I think you've given me a quest. Thanks Mike!