How to Take Pictures of Kids

Mindy's 8th Birthday

Every parent loves to take pictures of their kids, but all too often the actual prints are a disappointment. Great pictures of kids capture their personality, their many expressions and their endless curiosity. But frequently, the actual prints of the photos you snap of your children may fall short of the image you envisioned when you were trying to take the picture. Follow these tips from a professional photographer and see immediate results in your family photo album.

Instructions

1. Keep your camera handy at all times. You can’t get the shot if you don’t have your camera in the right place at the right time, so get used to carrying it with you.

2. Go digital. Digital cameras today are affordable for nearly everyone and they are really much more economical than film. You can capture many more images at a fraction of the cost of film and developing. With digital, you can see your pictures before you print them whereas with film, you’ve got to pay to develop all the photos and then decide which ones are worthy of keeping. Kind of pricey. With digital, you can take tons of pictures utilizing a memory card and avoid the cost of film altogether. Then, only print your best pictures. Your transition to digital will pay for itself quickly in film purchasing and developing costs and you’ll have albums full of only good pictures, not pictures that didn’t turn out.

3. Snap lots of photos. When your camera is always handy and you take lots of pictures of your kids, you’ll greatly improve your chances of getting the pictures you’ll love. Since the odds of getting a really great picture go up when you take more photos, take as many as you can. Your kids will soon get accustomed to seeing you with a camera in hand. After a while, they'll quit giving you those cheesy fake smiles and go back to behaving “naturally,” at which time you can get the pictures you really want.

4. Get down to their level. Most adults stand to shoot pictures of their kids. The result? The kids are always looking up in the photos or you’re looking at the tops of their heads and can’t see their great facial expressions. Pictures can appear distorted and they are rarely a masterpiece fit for framing. Change your vantage point. Sit on the floor to take pictures or kneel down. Get down to the child’s eye level. You’ll see an amazing and immediate difference in the quality of your photos.

5. Don’t use the flash. Everyone has albums full of pictures with red eyes and flash causes red eyes. Eliminate the flash and you eliminate more than red eyes. You also eliminate harsh shadows on the wall behind your subjects. Another advantage is that without seeing the camera flash, most kids don’t think you actually took a picture. They’ll just think you’re adjusting something on your camera and will act more naturally. They won’t even realize you’re taking their photograph, then you can get some great shots.

6. Get closer. If you can, use a telephoto lens or get closer to the kids so they actually fill the frame. You don’t really need all that background “stuff” in your photos anyway. It just detracts from the center of attention—the kids and the expressions on their faces. If your camera won’t allow you to get closer or zoom in, crop your pictures tightly around your subjects before you print them.

7. These six simple steps will dramatically improve the quality of your picture taking and create great memories you and your children will treasure for years. You'll be pleasantly surprised to find many more of your "snapshots" will become worthy of framing and hanging or sending to family and friends. Everyone will think you're a fantastic photographer.

Resources

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