6 Tips For Taking Better Photos Of Your Kids

Parenting is messy and exhausting, yet it’s one of the best reasons to learn photography. Some of the best amateur photographers are parents. They delve into the hobby because they have a new addition to the family, but soon realize that — like many other aspects of parenting for first-time moms and dads (and grandparents!) — they have no idea what they are doing. Flashes reflect off this and that; shadows appear that never existed before; and skin tones look washed out, blown out, or altogether unnatural. Thankfully, learning how to take kids photos creates a fun, simple hobby you can enjoy without hiring a babysitter — and what parent doesn’t need that? Here’s how to photograph kids:

#1 – GET ON THEIR LEVEL

Kids experience the world differently than adults (on, oh, so many levels!), and getting next to them to take your shot as opposed to shooting up or down at them from your height can really help make the picture more personal, thus capturing the child’s true personality. Is your little one swinging on the monkey bars, reading on the floor, or huddled inside the fort he just built? Get on his level and click away!

#2 – USE THE RULE OF THIRDS

This simple way of looking through your viewfinder to realign your shots can revolutionize your picture-taking. This site does an awesome job explaining and demonstrating the concept. Did you know that your iPhone camera has a rule of thirds grid mode on it? You can turn it on when you’re in the camera mode: Options>Grid>On.

#3 – THINK ABOUT YOUR SHOT BEFORE YOU TAKE IT

A handful of good pictures is worth so much more than 100 mediocre (or bad) ones. Be selective with your shots. In the world of digital images, it’s overwhelming to think about downloading, sharing, printing, and backing up 400 images from the last family vacation – so overwhelming that most people avoid it completely – thus resulting in full smartphones and camera cards.

The next time you’re headed to a family event, think about what photos are on your must-have list – little Jane with the cousins from out of town? Or how about Susie blowing out the candles on her birthday cake? Before you hit that shutter button, think about what exactly you want to capture before you press it. A little bit of intentionality can make your photos better and the management of your photos (and your life) so much easier!

#4 – PUT THE LIGHT AT YOUR BACK

Taking pictures toward the sun or toward a bright window with your child standing in front of it will rarely turn out well and usually results in dark faces and figures. To solve this, put the light at your back so that the natural light will help to illumine the shot. And, remember, the more natural light in your photo the better.

#5 – READ YOUR CAMERA’S USER MANUAL AND EXPERIMENT!

Certainly all of us can benefit from reading our camera’s user manual, but we’re especially talking to those of you who have spent the money on a DSLR camera.  For cameras with such high capacity for taking beautiful photos, it’s a waste to only keep it on the green auto setting.  You’re busy being chauffeur and meal-planner and don’t have a minute to spare, but take the manual along with you to the next soccer practice or orthodontist appointment.  Learn about aperture, shutter speeds, ISOs, etc. – and how to get good pictures without using the harsh flash. Then play around with it to get the results you want.

#6 – DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR PICTURES AND TREAT THEM WITH CARE!!!

Is this you?  You have five camera cards full in your camera bag untouched.  You aren’t backing up your photos on a separate hard drive or site like this. (We know of a guy who learned this the hard way and lost the bulk of his honeymoon photos when his computer hard drive crashed). What a shame that in a world where we are taking more photos and videos than ever before, that fewer and fewer people are making these memories part of their family history and are failing to treat them with the importance they deserve.  Sites like Picaboo, Shutterfly, and Blurb make it so easy to create a family photobook or yearbook – reducing hundreds of images (which would’ve, in the 90s, taken up six thick photo binders) to a beautifully bound ½-inch thick book – perfect for displaying on the coffee table, taking to Christmas at Grandma’s, or storing on the bookshelf.

Or, if that feels too overwhelming to you, print a few of your favorites and frame them in your house, order a canvas from a site like this, or just hang them on the fridge! Personal photos bring such warmth to a home that a generic piece from a box store never could.

When your kids look back at their childhood, please give them visuals!