It is a well-known practice for families to organize and make photo sessions on holidays and occasions – be it for the first birthday, smash cake, for Christmas, for a forerunner, or for baptism. Wonderful moments, captured fabulously by people like me – photographers. BUT, everyday children do things that we constantly record on our phones. You can’t convince me that you have a child under the age of 5 and you don’t take at least 1 photo of him every 2 days! If this is the case, I advise you to shoot it more often, because the speed at which it grows is insurmountable, and then only the memories remain, and with them the photos.
Well, these everyday moments, the cute faces, and even the sleeping kids deserve to be sealed just as fabulously. That’s why I decided to share 5 tips on how to photograph your children as a professional, be it with a camera or a phone. These tips will easily and quickly guide you on how to improve your every day and otherwise ordinary photos.
📌 Go down
Get on your knees, lie on your stomach, enter the children’s world when you meet your eyes on one level. There the magic happens and going down to this world you will find how satisfied and happy you will find a child because he will be hellishly intrigued that you are “there”. There is no better place and angle from which to take your pictures because this way you will be able to capture not only the child himself but also part of how he sees the world around him. And who knows – this shooting angle can inspire you for other photographic ideas.
📌 Shoot until you are noticed
It is difficult to take out the camera and the child does not throw away everything that has been the rule so far and to turn to you with the idea to grab the camera. Alas, here you have to be creative or just get used to shooting it and not be distracted by the fact (however, this is a very difficult task). Things are much easier when you decide to click your child with the phone, but there the risks of a bad picture are even greater. With more practice and the tips available here, though, I think you can handle it! So, the fewer children notice that you take pictures of them, the more real and emotional shots you will capture for the family photo album.
💡Bonus idea: If you are shooting with a camera, you can turn off the camera click sound (if the model and manufacturer allow it) so as not to disturb the children’s atmosphere. Also, I recommend using the longest lens possible or zooming in and zoom out.
📌 Shoot a sequence
Writing the title of this tip, I realized that I have 2 things in mind – take a photo story of what you have decided to seal. Take lots of pictures in a short amount of time and keep the ones that are in focus and really tell a story. For example, the child plucks a flower, wears it, and gives it as a gift, it sounds simple, but after a while, you will look fondly at the series of photos and you will remember the scent of this flower (be it a donkey thorn 😆)
The second thing that turned out to be I mean is – take as many pictures as you can. Kids are nimble and unpredictable, so just don’t save your photos, memory card space, phone, or whatever. One of the 10 photos must still be in focus and even her framing may have turned out great!
📌 Frame
In photography, there are guidelines and principles for framing, which are great to follow, BUT when it comes to children, games, entertainment, photos – the rules are one of the things that remain out of sight and so it should be. However, I advise you to strive for 2 main things when photographing your children:
If the photo includes a horizon – please make sure it is straight, horizontal. This will make the photo looks much better!
Do not cut the child’s limbs or head in the picture, they are small anyway and gather 😝. Unless the photo is close-up and a portrait focused on the face.
📌 Get closer!
Take a close-up picture of the boy, there is nothing more beautiful than two staring children’s eyes full of smiles and curiosity. This can be one of the hardest tips to follow, especially if your child walks, runs and doesn’t like to stand. Load up with patience, sit down to play with it, have fun together and then just try to “catch” this look. Set the camera to fast shooting mode, because the moment you will try to capture lasts only a few fractions of a second and with security, the child will not repeat it on command. If you are shooting with a phone, set it to “Burst mode” photos and “shoot”! In time, these photos will melt your heart as you distinguish the photo album, and you will be even more proud that you managed to make them yourself 🙂
🧸 Bonus tip
Shoot WITHOUT flash! Children don’t like them, just like adults. They feel “dazzled”, in the photos the faces appear unnaturally pale, scorched by the bright white light, with contrasting shadows here and there and often terrible colors. Choose places where there is enough light, not direct and bright (if you are shooting on a sunny day, shoot the child while in the shade).