5 awesome tips to photograph your children

1.  Get on their level

The world looks different at 2 feet.  Robert Capa (famous war photographer) said, “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” So get down, get close, and capture those cute faces on their level.

2. Slow down

A lot of times you think, “I have a digital camera I can shoot away,” which is true, but when you slow down and wait for those moments 9 times out of 10 you’ll get THE shot.  Instead of thinking “I’ll fix that in Photoshop” or “I’ll crop that out later” do all your editing in camera.  For example, if it’s too dark, change to a wider aperture or slower shutter speed.  Or a trashcan is getting in the way, angle the lens down or move any distractions.

3. Try different angles

Great photography is great composition.  It’s not about the million dollars you spent on your camera, but the way your subject is portrayed.  Just remember professional photographers pay for expensive cameras to get better image quality and color for printing huge pictures. A good photographer can take breathtaking photos with a camera phone. Plus kids move and they move fast. So what better way to get different angles than to follow them around and join them in their favorite spaces: under the kitchen table, on the monkey bars, climbing up to the tree house.

4. Get to know your camera

I say practice makes semi-perfect (there’s always room for growth).   Find out what your camera is capable of and what every button can do.  For example, on a point-and-shoot, “Aperture Priority” gives you a shallow depth-of-field, which is great when you want to focus only on one thing, i.e. one finger or one child. It all depends on your aperture settings.  P.s. reading the manual will prove to be VERY informative. You’ll be surprised of what a point and shoot can accomplish.

infograph by Miguel Gantioqui

5. Get their favorite toys involved and use them as props

Make your photo shoots feel like play time. When it’s just them and the camera kids usually default into two categories: the fake it hurts to smile smile or the ridged out of place pose in the playground.  To distract them from the camera I use toys as “props,” like blocks or puppets all the time.  But don’t over do it let the kids shine!

And remember: They’ll cry, they’ll laugh, they’ll throw a little tantrum, but those are the moments you want.  You want those “ in between moments” to think back and say “you use to cry every time you didn’t see your bear”