If I Were Invisible

I took some photos this week! I asked some friends of ours, a family we know from my daughter's school, if I could photograph their kids for a school project. We met at a park not very far from our homes and while the weather was not the greatest - windy, chilly and overcast - we still managed to make a few nice photos for their parents. I think I got the shot I needed for my assignment and I learned a ton. I learned that I need to check my camera's settings - picture quality, ISO, white balance, aperture - before I start shooting. I also learned that I'm seriously lacking in the posing department - even though I prefer candid shots. I need to learn how to gracefully and naturally pose people so they appear relaxed and comfortable and almost unaware of the camera. I'd love to take photos of people being themselves, doing what they do best, spending time around the people they are most comfortable with. One of the easiest ways there is to make people uncomfortable is to take out a camera and start taking photos. Short of being invisible, I need to figure out how to make people comfortable around me and my camera.