How to Take Better Pictures of your Kids: 9 easy tips

Wanna take better photos of your children? Here are some tips …

1. Go easy on the “cheeeeeese!” Here’s the thing about “cheeeeeeeeeeese!”: It’s not genuine. You may, in fact, get a smile … but it’s no where near as sweet as when your child smiles from her heart. And unfortunately, that fake smile replaces the genuine expression she had before automatically switching to “cheese” mode at the sight of your camera. If you boycott the “cheeeeeese!” and get your child used to just carrying on as normal around your camera, you’ll be able to capture all kinds of expressions that will absolutely melt your heart one day when you look back on your photos.

2. Experiment with in-camera cropping. Perfect is sooooo over rated! Have fun and try some different and interesting crops.

3. Don’t forget the details! What are you going to do with all the pictures you take on your camera or phone? Will you be making an album? Or a collage display on your wall? Or maybe you like to make online slideshows to share with family members. The best way to add interest to an album or display is to include a mix of pictures … some up close, some far away, and some that show details.

4. Have fun! Once when I was sitting on a bench on the boardwalk at a beach in Delaware, I saw a Mom trying to take pictures of her little girl. It was late and the 3-year-old girl was loosely holding a bag of cotton candy and pitching a mini fit. Mom kept patiently trying to get her to stand a certain way and eat the cotton candy. “Come on,” the Mom said … “I just want to get this one picture. Just this one picture!!! Stand still!!! Just eat the cotton candy!!! Please!!!” The little girl, however, wanted NOTHING to do with it. It was evening and she was done!! But Mom was on a mission to get that picture taken. Maybe it was their  last night at the beach. Maybe a certain cotton candy shot was in her “gotta do this!” board on Pinterest. She was driven … and the little girl was miserable.

When I photograph weddings, I tell all my brides the same thing: Don’t get too caught up in making a must-have list of pictures for your wedding. You’ll spend the whole day trying to duplicate what (hopefully) happened spontaneously at someone else’s wedding. Instead … relax. Enjoy. Have fun! The most amazing photographs happen when people are truly just doing their thing! That same piece of advice applies to Moms and Dads when it comes to photographing their children. Pinterest may be full of amazing ideas … but avoid the trap of always trying to recreate other people’s images. Sit back and watch for your own amazing moments and people will want to start copying your photographs!

5. Remember to pull back! Get up close and personal so that you can see the new little teeth that broke through!! But at the same time, pull back so you can also see the crib that one day will be replaced by a big-girl bed. Much like detail shots (tip 3!), having images taken from different perspectives and with different focal lengths can really add visual interest to albums and helps to tell a bigger picture. So, yes … zoom in! But don’t forget to zoom out, too!

6. Nap time is a great time! A great time for selfies, that is! Snuggle down with your little one right as he’s about to conk out and you’ll be able to capture the sweetest pictures of you guys together. Whether you use a timer on your camera or just shoot with an extended arm, snoozy little ones are often willing to just lie still and look sweet as pie.

7. Include special toys. It’s not possible to save all your children’s toys. (Well, ok. It is possible … but certainly not recommended!) Usually parents end up saving a few of the really special ones and the rest get donated or given to friends or family members. By including those toys in pictures, not only do you get a mighty cute photo, but it’s a really great way to preserve the memory of a beloved play thing … without the clutter.

8. Capture images from the front, back and side of your child. We get so used to taking pictures of our children’s faces looking right at the camera that sometimes we forget to capture other angles, too. Profile shots and pictures of little ones walking or crawling away can be super adorable!

9. Shoot a series for your wall or album. Some people love the challenge of putting together a wall collage of pictures that compliment each other. Other people get overwhelmed … and so they just don’t do it! One really easy way to put together something cohesive is to take a picture of each of the children in the same place. In the example above, the girls were photographed lying in the grass separately, and then together. You’ve now got a cohesive wall grouping without too much work!

Speaking of wall collages, if you’re looking for great display ideas, check out my all-the-way Tuesday posts for some inspiration!
Kate Callahan is a child and family photographer serving the Hudson Valley, NY, NYC, and Delaware and surrounding areas.

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