Ten tips for taking photos of your children

If you are anything like me then you probably take loads of photos of your kids!!

As mama’s we love to document all our babies’ milestones, and my humble beginnings as a photographer began with me taking photos of my first daughter Isla. As soon as she was born, I became completely obsessed with taking photos of her, and I basically haven’t put the camera down since!

It was easy enough when she was a baby, I would dress her up in cute outfit, lay her down and snap away!! But before long before she was crawling, then walking and trying to get her to sit still was a whole new ball game. Soon enough she was basically running away from camera and I had to completely change my photo taking strategy!!

Instead of trying to get her to stand still and smile at me, I would dress her up take her to the garden and just follow her around as she played and explored. I would capture her grubby little feet that were covered in dirt, the little flowers that she held in her chubby fingers, and probably my favourite was her chunky little bum when she ran around in the nude (honestly what’s cuter than a nudey toddler!)

Where it all began, taking photos of my eldest daughter on my Iphone 4! (the last one is when I upgraded to my first DSLR!)

This is how my passion for documentary and lifestyle photography really blossomed, (although admittedly at that time I had no idea that it even had a label, I was just trying to capture photos of a free spirited little girl!). I started bringing my camera along with me EVERYWHERE and I was completely hooked on capturing memories from playing on the swings at the local playground to building sandcastles with daddy at the beach. I honestly have thousands of photos because I wanted to document every little moment.

I now have beautiful three girls, and I still make the effort at least once a week to grab my camera out and document our daily lives. Even if we don’t leave the house, I just photograph them playing in their bedroom or in the garden. These are the memories that I believe are most important, just children being children in their natural environment playing with siblings, surrounded by their favourite toys. I rarely ask my girls to smile at the camera because when you try to direct children to pose, they tend to assume bizarre, twisted positions or do things that they never normally would. Now that my six year old is getting a little more aware of the camera she will strike an odd silly pose, but I always go along with it and take a few photos because it keeps it fun for her!!

So many of my favourite photos were taken at home. This is where so many beautiful authentic and unscripted moments happen and true memories are made.

It’s been six years since I first picked up a camera to capture my daughter, I have learnt a few tips along the way when it comes to taking beautiful and natural photos of children and I would love to share them with you!

Tip 1: Shoot them as they are

When photographing your children, don’t just get your camera for the big moments – blowing out the candles, opening the presents etc. Make sure to get the camera out for the simple everyday moments too!

I love taking photos of my girls playing in their room or dressing up in their favourite costumes because it’s often these times that show their real personality. Make sure you grab the camera out every now and then during bath time (and straight after when they are all wrapped up in a towel!), or even when they are playing outside on the swing set or the cubby house. I also tend to keep my editing pretty basic for my personal photos, I love their grubby little knees even if there is the odd scratch or bruise I usually just leave it (boogers however I will usually edit out!!). These things are part of childhood and it adds so much to the story of play.

Kids are only small for such a short time and capturing these simple every day moments means you can look back in years to come and they will remember how much they loved that particular toy or when they wouldn’t take off that one jumper for a week straight. I can promise that you will treasure photos like this above all else when your babies are grown up and they will love looking back on them just as much!

Tip 2: It’s not all about the smile

Children don’t usually fake their emotions, which makes their portraits stand out so much! I take photos of all my kid’s emotions and a lot of my favourite portraits are the ones where they aren’t smiling.

Instead of forcing them to smile (which nearly always results in a cheesy unnatural grin!), look for opportunities to capture them when they are laughing or playing in their natural environment. I find just talking to them helps to capture beautiful natural faces, wait for them to stop chatting away and then quickly take a snap when they are waiting for you to talk again, or staring off into the distance thinking about what they are going to say next. Even if they have a serious expression because they are so completely immersed in whatever game it is they are playing, just take the photo anyway at is show how they look normally, which in my opinion is far better than a big fake smile!

If you really want the smiling shot, you’re going to have to make them smile, so give them a tickle or have someone in the background make them laugh.

Tip 3: Find good light

As so eloquently put by Poet Tess Guinery, “take notice of what light does to everything”.

While I don’t believe there is such a thing as “bad light” there is certain types of light that is easier to work with, my biggest tip is to always find natural light.  

Outdoors:

If you are familiar with my work, you will know that I love that beautiful soft golden light that is found one hour before sunset and one hour after sunrise. It is more commonly known as the golden hour and it truly is golden in every sense of the word. Basically everything looks beautiful under this diffused golden light, shadows are soft and you can get really creative with backlit lighting (the sun behind your subject) or have the light towards the side, or even directly in front because the sun is low the light is soft and you don’t get harsh shadows, or bright highlights on the skin.

In saying this, as a mum of three small children I totally understand that sunset is not always the ideal time to take children outdoors (I am all too aware of witching hour!) but this doesn’t mean you can’t take beautiful photos outdoors during the early hours of the day, you just have to be more aware of the light!

 Most of the time when we take our kids out to play it’s during the day when the sun is high in the sky, which creates harsh shadows on faces as well as squinty eyes if they are looking directly into the light. So, if you are taking photos in high sun try and find a big shady tree and gently encourage them to play under it, even if it’s for a few minutes so you can snap a few photos. The light on their faces will be much softer in the shadows, and result in much more evenly lit photos. If you are at the beach (or anywhere lacking shade!) put their back to the sun or have the sun to the side so they aren’t looking directly into it.

I absolutely love taking photos of my kids at the beach! It’s the perfect spot to just follow them around and document their play so don’t let that harsh light put you off -just make it work in your favour!

Indoors:

When you are taking photos inside the key is to try and use natural light as much as possible, even little pockets of light are perfect to get creative with. Window light is ideal for natural portraits, so if you can get your child to  sit/ stand/ play near a window while you snap away  (see my Instagram video for an a example of how I use light in three different way from just one window click here )

The best way to find “good” light is to turn off all the lights in your house and you will see where the light lands on the floor or the walls.  If like my house your children’s bedrooms are a little dark, pull their favourite toys out and set up a little scene in a room with pretty light. Alternatively, if your kids will play along, get creative with them. Set up a chair or place a little rug/blanket under or next to a window and snap away!

Tip 4: Get them used to the camera

Even most adults feel a bit awkward when we have a camera pointed at us, so it’s not surprising that most kids start acting a little unnatural, especially if you are taking a photo with a camera instead of your phone.You see a moment and you run to grab your camera/phone, the kids see the camera, they stop what they are doing and stiffen up, they might even run away or they start posing and giving you cheesy grins and that natural moment you originally wanted to capture is lost.

As I mentioned before, it’s those everyday scenes that you want to capture, those are the ones where their true personality shines. Even if you have set up a little scene with a few toys or an activity next to a window specifically so you can take a few photos you still want them to look natural. The more often get the camera out, the more comfortable with it they will become and your children will barely even realise that you are there snapping away. I always aim to catch them in the moment, even if I take a few photos of them being silly. Once they are bored of the camera I stay close and nearly always get a few more candid photos. The key is patience, and consistency!

Our phones are usually laying around pretty close but if you are using a camera make sure to leave it somewhere that it’s easily accessible and make sure you always replace the memory cards so you don’t miss the moment fiddling around trying to find one!

Tip 5: Capture the motion!

Toddlers and young children rarely stand still, so why force them to for a photo! It never ends well, and only makes them less willing when it comes to having their photo taken!

Instead encourage them to dance, twirl, jump and run! I am always asking my girls to twirl, wherever we are (and especially if they are wearing a dress). If there is a big puddle outside, have them jump in it. If you’re at the beach, race into the waves. Do you have a pool? Get your kids to bomb dive in. These are perfect childhood moments that you should be documenting, plus it’s fun for them too! [ML1] 

Granted, you may need to work a little harder to keep up with them (think of it as your weekly workout!) and your camera will need to work a little harder to keep up with them too, so make sure you are shooting in continuous or burst mode and have your shutter speed set HIGH!

If you aren’t shooting in manual yet, or you are using a point and shoot camera then set your camera to sports mode (It’s usually a little icon of a guy running!) and let your camera do all the work. Shooting with these settings will freeze the action and make for some very cool photos. Alternatively, slow it right down (slow shutter speed) and capture the movement in the frame. If you are using your phone simple turn it to burst mode (every phone is different, so best to just google how to do it!)

Tip 6:  Alter your perspective

Try and take most photos of your children at their eye level and capture the world from their perspective! Whether you have to squat, bend or even lay on the floor, get down real low. The bonus is your kids will probably stop to stare at you wondering what you are doing, which gives you a chance to quickly snap away!

 Then, throw this rule out of the window and get really creative with your composition, if you’re little one is sitting happily playing with a toy without moving them! Instead, move yourself around them and shoot from all different angles.

Get down as low as you can and shoot up, then shoot down from high above! This is a great one to do outdoors especially if you can find a patch of flowers I particularly love this angle when my girls are laying down and staring straight up at me or cuddling into one another.

You don’t always need to take photos from the front when photographing children. Try mixing it up with some photos of the kids running away from the camera (I have loads of those believe me!), or even with their face hidden behind a book, or staring off into the distance.

You don’t need to see their face to tell a story. By capturing what else is going on in the scene you are allowing the viewer to paint their own picture.

Tip 7: Get in close and fill the frame!

Once you have taken lots of full body shots (and played around with your angles!) then it’s time to move in a little closer and focus on their busy little hands, grubby feet and sweet face full of freckles! If you have a newborn then this is the time to capture all those tiny beautiful little details, from their hairy little ears to their teeny tiny toes!

I am a total sucker for the little details, and I always include lots of these close-up cropped images in my galleries for families because it’s the little details that really help to strengthen a story. So, don’t be afraid to crop off a part of the head or chop off the legs and feet if it helps to fill the frame with a chubby little face or a tiny hand. Just make sure you crop with intention and make sure you aren’t cropping at a joint. For example, if you are cropping the feet or legs, crop just above the ankle or above the knee. Same for arms, crop between the elbow and wrist. For heads, crop below the neck or just the top part of their head.

But rules are made to be broken, so don’t be afraid to get creative! It’s also a great idea to include another object or element to highlight how small the body part is (such as a tiny baby hand holding a parent’s finger!).

8. Find the beauty in the chaos

This is a huge part of my approach to creating beautiful natural photos, both for my professional and personal work. I love documenting real life, because the best memories are usually in those in between moments.

Family life is chaotic, especially if you have a house full of young children! There are most likely toys lying around and washing piling up somewhere in the house as well dishes waiting for you in the kitchen. Please don’t let these things put you off from taking photos in your home or waste your time tidying it up before you take photos! Sometimes you just need to take a quick scan of the room and remove any crazy colourful items or random objects that don’t fit the story before you start snapping. If you come to my house on a day that I’m intentionally taking photos you will most likely find a pile of random stuff shoved in a corner!! 

In saying that, I also love documenting the chaos so every now and then I will pop into their room and photograph it exactly as it is. Toys everywhere, clothes strewn all over the ground because that’s a story in itself.

9. Consider clothing choices

I’m saying consider here because again I don’t want you walking away thinking that you can’t take a beautiful photo unless your child is wearing the “right” clothes, because you most definitely can! But to avoid distraction and keep the focus on your beautiful child, I suggest that you try to avoid clothes with bright colours, cartoon characters, and writing all over them (you know, all the clothes that are designed to grab your attention that children love!!). I generally favour neutral and earthy tones because they are easy to photograph and edit as they work in most environments and don’t create colour casts on the skin (a red t-shirt in high sun will reflect the colour onto skin!). I love adding accessories too, bonnets, and chunky knits add so much interest, texture and CUTENESS!

Now as a mama of three girls I know that outfit choices are such a huge part of children’s identity. It is one of the few things they have control over, and my girls have been choosing what they want to wear since they were both two years old! So as much I love the neutral trend and the pretty earthy colours, my girls don’t have quite the same passion and they will usually pick the hot pink sparkly tutu over a simple white cotton dress any day! More than anything I don’t want to dull their sparkle and if I try and force them to wear something they don’t want there is not a chance they will cooperate for a photo! So, if they want to wear the hot pink tutu then I work around that and just put them in a simple environment where the tutu isn’t competing with too many other elements. If you know you might take some intentional photos that day, then try and pull something simple from their wardrobe and convince them to wear it even if it’s just for 5-10 minutes (I’m also not opposed to bribery in this case!)

For me though, emotion always takes precedent, so don’t let crazy colourful clothing put you off taking photos! If you see a beautiful moment unfolding always snap away (even if they are wearing their favourite sparkly unicorn T-shirt) and if you feel the photo is too busy then edit the photo in black and white and VOILA no crazy colours, just a beautiful moment frozen in time. You have probably noticed I edit ALOT of my photos in black and white, I just love the simplicity of it and the way it strips back everything but the emotion.

When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!” When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!” ―Ted Grant

10. Embrace your local environment

As much as I love heading to the beach at sunset or finding beautiful golden fields to take photos of my girls, it’s often the ones taken at home and in our own backyard that are my favourites. Just because you might not think you are surrounded by beauty, doesn’t mean you can’t take a beautiful portrait because the key element to a photo is light and that can be found everywhere you just have to look for it!

I am forever searching around my house and garden for pretty pockets of light and convincing my husband to let the grass and weeds grow just for a little longer so I can use them for my photos! Even your local park is a great spot for photos, take your camera with you and capture them playing on the playground or the skate park (even better if you can get there during golden hour!) and keep a lookout for in your local suburb for vacant blocks, or areas with tall grass or pockets of water. I promise you can make even the dingiest areas look pretty if you crop in tight and use a wide aperture (low fstop between 1.8-3.5).

The more photos you take in your house, garden or even just around your street the more aware you will become of the light, where it falls and how it makes even the most mundane environments look beautiful.

Have fun!! And just take the photo, take all the photos!

 At the end of the day taking photos isn’t just about the end result, it’s all about the experience too. Making it fun will result in images that have so much more authentic emotion. Plus, if you make it enjoyable, it’s more likely your kids will want to get involved when they see you grab the camera!

 Make it an adventure! Heading outdoors provides ultimate freedom where they can run around, pick flowers, search for shells and paddle in the water without you having to do anything more than snap away and capture all the moments!

If you have a camera, YAY! I encourage you to learn manual mode (plenty of you tube videos!) as it will change your photos for the better, I promise. If all you have is your mobile phone, that’s fine, just use it. Unless you plan to sell your work, no one will care about the quality of the image. Really, at the end of the day, all that matters is that you capture the moment! I have an iPhone photo hung up in my hallway, and to this day it’s still one of my favourite photos.

If you see a beautiful moment unfolding just pick up whatever is closest to you and take the photo!! The beauty of digital cameras is that we have the freedom to click away, fill up a memory card if we want too and just delete the ones that don’t make the cut, easy! I don’t think you can ever have too many photos (just make sure to get an organisation system in place for all your files!). My eldest daughter is now six, and I love looking back on all the little moments I have captured over the years.