I know many of you have your own digital SLR's (aka big cameras) and really enjoy taking photos of your own children. So, I thought I would take time out today to give you a few of my favorite tips in photographing children. 1. Talk to them- do not talk at them. Try not to say - "stand here, don't move, etc" You know (better than anyone else) what your children love to talk about so this is your chance to use this for your benefit! Engage with them. This makes for an atmosphere for more natural, fun looking photographs.
2. Give them something to do. Walk. Jump. Count to 10. Sing. Twirl. Freeze. Make it fun!
3. Get on their level. I see this as one of the most common mistakes parents make when photographing their children. You must literally move your camera (and therefore your body) to their eye level. Sometimes this means you find me lying fully on the ground. There are some cases when other points of view are appropriate as well. But the majority of time, I am on their level.
4. Make sure they feel like themselves. This means different things for different people. But if your children do not normally wear nice, smocked dress clothes then do not put them on just for photographs. It really does effect the atmosphere of the shoot. Let them be themselves.
5. Don't be afraid to mess up. The beauty of the digital world is that there is no harm in messing up a hundred times. It is now called the delete button. And sometimes apparent mess ups are some of my favorites. Take risks.
6. Look for the light. This is the most important thing I can stress. It is all about the light. Your photos will never be what you want if you do not learn to study the light around you. The best time of day is early morning and late afternoon/early evening. If you must shoot in the day, then find good open shade.
7. Bribe. My husband will totally disagree with this tip but I am a huge proponent in bribing for photographs. Have something fun for the very end of the shoot. Something that you could use in the photographs is the best! Like a popsicle, big colorful sucker, a fun headband- whatever! I am always happy when I hear that parents have something for the kiddos at the end. Sometimes that is the only way I can get them to cooperate. Especially for those long shoots.
8. Last but not least. Book a family session once a year when children are really young and once every 2 years as they grow. If not with me, then with another photographer that you love. Your presence as a family is so important to capture. You want to remember those sweet moments that you cannot photograph yourself. It is such a small investment for a lifetime of memory.
Here are a few favorites from my recent session with my two...
