5 Easiest Tips for Photographing Kids
Do you wish you had more photos of your kids? Y'all, me too. And I take pictures of my daughter all the time! Pictures that stare me in the face and show me just HOW FAST time is moving. It's impossible to keep up of course, but I do try really hard these days to make sure that I'm at least capturing a little bit of her life every couple of weeks - whether it's a special event or not. I hope to create visual records of her life (printed, not on Instagram - y'all know how I feel about pictures that just get left on hard drives!), partly for her to look back on, but also for ME! This momming business is hard work, but it is so sweet, and I know I'll miss this time when it's gone.Even though I've learned so much about photography since starting my business, one thing I definitely know for sure is that you don't have to be a professional photographer or have a fancy camera to get great pictures of your kiddos! Y'all, the iPhone camera is freaking AWESOME these days, and there are lots of great point and shoot ones too! The point is to get that camera out and start snapping. Take pictures of the special moments and the first days of school, but take pictures of the Sundays at the park too!Without further adieu, here are the FIVE easiest to implement, biggest bang for your buck tips to start taking better photographs of your kids today:
Get on their level
I cannot even tell you how many pictures I have of the top of Maddie's head. It's embarrassing. What's even more embarrassing is how often I have to sync my photos with the cloud because I never delete any of them. I digress. To take the best pictures of kids, you have GOT to get down on their level. And I don't just mean crouch or bend down a little bit - you'll still be coming at them from a slightly downward angle. The best pictures I have of my almost-three-feet-tall little lady are from when I'm sitting on the floor. This even goes for older kids too. Make sure you get your camera or lens at about their eye level and straight on, not angled downward, to get the best photos.You want this:
Not this:
Both cute, but the top one is just a few inches lower, so we get more of her face straight on!
Go for expressions, not cheesy smiles, to get a more natural look
If the last time you asked a little kid to smile you got something like this...
then you feel my pain. The whole "say cheese" thing just doesn't fly when you want to get pictures that really capture your kiddo! This is probably because kids don't usually walk around saying "cheese" all the time - it's so not natural. Instead, ask your kiddo for a series of faces (With Maddie, we go "boo hoo" to "wow" to "stinky" to "silly" to "boo!" and usually get some sort of reaction in there!) and just snap, snap, snap the shutter to get them all! Some will probably look ridiculous, but you might even get a real laugh! You can also ask silly questions to get giggles or even play peek a boo depending on the child's age. And then there's the quiet standby - telling the kid to NOT smile. I think it's a scientific fact that you can't actually not smile when someone tells you not to (as long as you are old enough to understand sarcasm of course).
Give them somewhere to sit
I'm not sure why, but giving the little one somewhere to sit goes over really well! Especially for the little kids, it sort of anchors them for a second, so you can try and get some pictures. I use a wooden crate at lots of sessions, and it's the perfect little seat!
Give them something to hold
Again, we're anchoring the kiddo with something to DO here. Whether it's a flower or a leaf or an ornament, asking littles to hold something while you're taking the picture goes over really well! Even better if they'll "show it" to you with a super cute and proud look!
Give them somewhere to look
This is why you remember the Olan Mills guy at Sears having bunnies and stuffed animals behind the camera to get kids to smile. It's not so much that stuffed animals and puppets make people laugh always, but you can actually use the object to direct the child's gaze. Littles are often MESMERIZED by what's on the ground, which leads to lots of pictures of the top of their heads. But if you hold an object of interest slightly above the camera or right by your face, and tell them to look at it, you'll be much more likely to get a straight at the camera look! "Look at the camera!" just doesn't have the same effect as "look at the puppy!"
Bonus: tiny bribes go a loooong way
This is one of the first things I tell every client. There are lots of times when I try really hard to be the picture of patience and resolve in motherhood, but photoshoots are not one of those times. Bribes. Work. It doesn't have to be huge! I usually bring stickers along to shoots as rewards, and I know that the promise of a post-family photoshoot ice cream trip has cracked many a stone-faced preschooler. I'm just saying, do what works!I hope this is helpful for y'all! If there's anything I missed or any tried and true tips you use, make sure you drop them in the comments below for everyone to see! Or better yet, come find me on Instagram and tell me there!PS. One more thing.... We always want more pictures of our kids, but mamas rarely think to get more pictures of themselves WITH their kids. Sometimes we're too self conscious. Sometimes we're just plain in the habit of always being behind the camera and never asking anyone else to take the picture, but you know who is going to want pictures of you the most in 10 or 20 years? Your kids. And they're not going to give a damn about how you look - they're only going to look at the photo and remember how you made them feel. So do me a favor, and try out the other side of the lens every once and awhile.