Have you ever asked yourself, "How do I take better pictures of my children?"
Maybe you have family photos scheduled every year, or every few years, where your photographer captures great photos of kids. But in between those times you're never quite able to get the photos you want.
Well, then this post is for you! I think we all wish we had better photos of our kids, but what does better mean? Is it sharper photos, photos that capture their personality, photos that you can be proud to have live outside of your phone?
I personally think better means all of those things and more. When I'm photographing my own kids and the children of families in my business, I want to freeze time and capture their personalities. Sometimes that's easier said than done. My phone has tons of photos of my son and daughter turning away from the camera or smiling a super cheesy smile I only see when I'm trying to take their picture. And while I cherish all of these things, what I really want is the photograph to capture their essence, so when I look back at them, I smile, laugh and my heart strings are pulled by the memories. Over time I've come up with some tried and true tricks for taking the best photos of your kids with your phone.
Top 5 Tips for capturing your child's authentic personality in photographs
1. Use Burst Mode or Motion/Live Photo
How many times have you taken a photo with your phone where your kids were being the cutest ever and you look at the photo and it's all blurry because they moved? I've been disappointed so many times, and it makes me really miss the fast shutter speed on my professional camera.
The fix for this is probably obvious, but I'm going to say it anyway; use your phone's burst mode and/or motion/live photo options. Burst mode will take a bunch of photos in rapid succession, kind of like a fast shutter speed and I find does a great job of getting you a few beautiful photos to choose from that aren't blurry. Just don't forget to delete the 20 that are blurry/aren't usable. Motion/Live Photo takes a little video that captures movement during the time you're taking the photo. This is also fantastic because you can use the frames from this Motion/Live Photo to grab a clear shot of what you're trying to capture. Plus these are fun because they're little videos of the moment.
I'm also going to throw out there that it doesn't hurt to embrace a little blur. That blur is the capture of movement, if you've got a little one like me who never stops moving, it can perfectly encapsulate their personality. The other day my daughter was wearing pig tails and she looked just adorable, so I grabbed my phone to take some photos. As I did, she swung her head back and forth and I caught the most perfect slightly blurry photo of this movement and it's one of my favorites!
2. Be Silly
Think about what makes your child laugh, or smile a brilliant authentic smile. Is it silly noises, a funny voice you do, saying funny words (you know, like fart) or singing a funny song. You know your kids best, but instead of trying to get a perfect photo of them sitting and smiling stiffly at the camera, have them sit down and do what makes them laugh. You'll capture some of the best photos that way.
A favorite for my daughter is to try and guess her age. I ask, "Are you 5?" And she smiles big and says no because she's only 2. This is just one example of how to be silly with your kids while you photograph them to capture more authentic smiles.
Sing and Dance
What's your child's favorite song? What makes them dance? For my daughter and during sessions I've sung songs like "Icky Sticky Bubble Gum" or played music on my phone. Singing and dancing helps kids loosen up. For all ages, sometimes when we have our photo taken, we turn into stiff robots who just look at the camera and try to put on our best smile. So, if you encourage your kids to sing and dance you not only get to photograph them doing something they enjoy, but you also get those genuine smiles for great photos.
Have Your Kids Participate in an Activity
I find that kids have more fun getting their photos taken when they get to do something fun at the same time. Makes sense, right? Have them play a game with you, like peek-a-boo or red light, green light. Have them draw a picture, color or paint, blow bubbles outside, play at the park or something else your child enjoys. You'll be creating memories while photographing them doing an activity they love. Plus, in these moments when you ask your kid to tell you about what they're doing I find they'll look right at you with a big smile! So have that phone ready!
Focus on Personality over Perfection
I truly believe if you want to take better photos of your kids, then you should focus on capturing their personalities over a perfect, looking at the camera, smiling picture. This takes capturing photos of your kids from a stressful event of trying to get them to sit still and smile, to a fun activity for making memories; one where you get to see the living breathing essence of your child's beautiful personality shine! And when we capture their personalities we get to see them for who they authentically are which are some of the best photos.
Conclusion
You might be thinking that most of these suggestions are geared towards little kids, but these tips can apply to all ages. What goofy things does your teenager like to laugh about or you can tease them a little about something. Get them on their skateboard, or playing the instrument they love and snap away!
Now you have five ways to take better photos of your kids!
I hope with these tips you'll be able to take beautiful photographs of your children, ones you'll print for albums and cherish for a lifetime.
And if you don't want to stress about trying to get those great smiles from your kids, reach out to me, we can put together a family portrait session, or a portrait session for your child.
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