How to Take Great Digital Photos of Kids

If you’re a parent you undoubtedly have a brag book filled with your little darling’s snapshots. But are the photos any good? Many parents are enthusiastic picture-takers, but they simply don’t know how to capture great shots the way professionals do. The only things you really need are a great digital camera and an adorable subject. The rest is easily learned.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Digital camera
• Memory card
• Toy

1. Purchase a digital camera with no shutter delay. Shutter delay can absolutely ruin your photos. Delays of up to 5 seconds are common with older and less expensive models, and by that time, small children are not only out of the frame, they can be out of the room!
2. Stash your digital camera nearby. Kids don’t often give you warning that they’re about to do something cute, so make sure that your camera is within easy reach.
3. Buy a memory card with lots of room. This is especially important during the holidays or if you’re going on a trip--times when you might not have access to your computer to “dump” the images. You don’t want to miss out on documenting baby’s first visit to Santa because there’s no more room on your card.
4. Zoom in on your kids. You hardly ever hear someone say about a photo of their kids, “I wish it was farther away.” Usually, it’s just the opposite. Whether manually or through the camera’s zoom function, don’t be afraid to get up close.
5. Keep on shooting. You’re bound to get a great photo or two if you shoot 20. Remember that you can delete all of the so-so photos later.
6. Change your perspective. Don't always shoot from your viewpoint. This often causes a distorted look. Some of the best photos of the kiddos are taken at their perspective, so get down to their level.

Tips & Warnings

• Taking digital photos that you plan to enlarge to an 8-by-10 size or bigger is one of the only times when you should plan to shoot a picture from farther away. A darling baby face that takes up the entire 4-by-6 picture is cute; one that takes up an 8-by-10 can be a little scary.
• Kids tend to sit still longer if they’re doing something they’re interested in. So if you’re trying to capture a specific outfit, for example, make sure your child has a toy she can play with while you’re snapping away.
• In addition to shutter delay, try to avoid cameras with a lengthy recycle time (the time before the camera is ready to take another photo).