5 EASY TIPS FOR TAKING BETTER PHOTOS OF YOUR KIDS
Whether you’re shooting with a smartphone or a high-end digital camera, it can be frustrating when you don’t get the results you’re hoping for. That’s why today I’m sharing 5 Easy Tips for Taking Better Photos of your Kids. With a little practice and patience you’ll begin to think more like a photographer and make images you love.
TIP 1 :
PRACTICE SEEING
Sounds obvious, right? A fundamental of photography is observation. Look for things in your everyday environment that interest you. Look for things you want to remember.
In the image above, my family and I were heading home from a day at the beach when I noticed this moment - my daughter putting on her bike helmet. Instead of letting the moment pass, I was drawn to how softly the late afternoon light was falling around her, as well as the lines of the fence and boardwalk she stood on. Those elements, plus the pops of color in her sun dress, the helmet, bucket and bicycles, add interest to this image.
TIP 2: LOOK FOR THE LIGHT
When you first start to practice photgraphy, it might be hard to notice different types of light but here’s one that’s easy to photograph with. This is called magic hour. Oh, how I love this kind of light. About an hour before sunset, the light becomes golden and beautiful. This light is your friend! Pretty much anything you photograph in this light will be stunning.
Above is a portrait of my daughter during magic hour. Can you see how half of her face is illuminated and half is in shadow? I could have positioned her to be facing the sun but I liked the contrast of light and shadow. Play around with light! Practice shooting at different times of day, move your subject (or move yourself to take the shot from a different angle) and you’ll start to see the variety of images you can make.
TIP 3: IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS
The baby days go by in a blink and those precious, chubby thighs won’t stay that way forever. That’s why I like to photograph the details: a lock of hair falling down my daughter’s back, painted-covered hands after a day of arts n’crafts, that time my toddler fractured her foot. Maybe it’s a special toy that your kiddo sleeps with or their favorite things to eat. These may sound like funny things to capture, but years from now it’s delightful to remember the details of your life together.
TIP 4: LOOK FOR COLOR
Color is all around us, and not just in the clothes we wear. Include colors in nature in your photographs, such as green grass or a blue sky, as a backdrop. Have your kids lean against a bright, red pick-up truck or a building that’s been painted with a mural. Begin to take note of what you see on your way to school, work, or the grocery store and you’ll see that the options in your everyday life are endless!
TIP 5: GET THEM BUSY
Indoors or outside, getting your kids involved in an activity is a great way to capture them being themselves. Let them play with a big cardboard box, blow bubbles, read a book quietly in your closet, or let them pretend to be ghosts in the drapes.
Using this technique to distract them from my camera often results in images I love much more than asking them to line up and say, “Cheese!”
If you’ve made it this far but you’re feeling overwhelmed, that’s OK. The next time you take out your camera, simply start with TIP 1: PRACTICE SEEING. As you build that muscle memory you can move on to the next tip. And remember, have fun with it!