I'm lucky. I have a photographer and a great camera on hand all the time! I can take scrapbook worthy pictures of my kids anytime I want. Well, when they'll cooperate anyway. But people say to me "I wish I could take pictures of my kids like you do" all the time. You CAN by simply changing a few things about the way you're taking the pictures! It doesn't matter if you're using a phone, a point and shoot or a fancy, schmancy camera like mine.
LIGHT MATTERS
The first thing you should pay attention to when you're taking a photo of your kids is the light. Having your kids face the light will give you soft, natural highlights on their features, especially their eyes! It will also give a beautiful "catch light" (a light source that produces a highlight on the eye). If you're outside and it's sunny, it's best to move to a shady spot so as to prevent squinting and harsh shadows produced by the sun.
In this photo of Ginger (to the left), the "before" photo she is facing me with our family room windows behind her. Notice how dark her face is and the highlights are on her shirt and the top of her hand and head. And there are no catch lights in her eyes. In the "after" photo, I had her turn around and face our family room windows and now the highlights are on her beautiful face and there are perfect catch lights in her eyes, giving her a little bit of life and bringing depth to the image.
Another important thing to remember, if you have control over your focus point (like you do in most cameras) is to always focus on the eyes! This is the most prominent feature and the place your eyes naturally fall when you're looking at a photograph of a person. If one eye is further away than the other, it's more natural looking to focus on the eye closest to the camera.
The first thing you should pay attention to when you're taking a photo of your kids is the light. Having your kids face the light will give you soft, natural highlights on their features, especially their eyes! It will also give a beautiful "catch light" (a light source that produces a highlight on the eye). If you're outside and it's sunny, it's best to move to a shady spot so as to prevent squinting and harsh shadows produced by the sun.
In this photo of Ginger (to the left), the "before" photo she is facing me with our family room windows behind her. Notice how dark her face is and the highlights are on her shirt and the top of her hand and head. And there are no catch lights in her eyes. In the "after" photo, I had her turn around and face our family room windows and now the highlights are on her beautiful face and there are perfect catch lights in her eyes, giving her a little bit of life and bringing depth to the image.
Another important thing to remember, if you have control over your focus point (like you do in most cameras) is to always focus on the eyes! This is the most prominent feature and the place your eyes naturally fall when you're looking at a photograph of a person. If one eye is further away than the other, it's more natural looking to focus on the eye closest to the camera.
BACK IT UP
The second tip I have for you is to pay attention to what is behind your kids when you're taking their picture. A photo that has a lot going on in the background is much less pleasing to look at than a photo where your darling daughter is the main focus. In my example to the right, Ginger looks cute in her matching outfit (hey, they all have polka dots!) and her cute pose in the "before". But she gets lost in all the toys and books surrounding her. (FYI, this is my family room after several hours of my kids being out of bed! Ha ha!) In the "after", she's in the same room, still with a toy but instead of a cluttered bookshelf behind her, she's in front of a door. Oh, her smile in this picture... he he She said that was her best picture smile.
The second tip I have for you is to pay attention to what is behind your kids when you're taking their picture. A photo that has a lot going on in the background is much less pleasing to look at than a photo where your darling daughter is the main focus. In my example to the right, Ginger looks cute in her matching outfit (hey, they all have polka dots!) and her cute pose in the "before". But she gets lost in all the toys and books surrounding her. (FYI, this is my family room after several hours of my kids being out of bed! Ha ha!) In the "after", she's in the same room, still with a toy but instead of a cluttered bookshelf behind her, she's in front of a door. Oh, her smile in this picture... he he She said that was her best picture smile.
FROM EVERY ANGLE
We naturally take photos of our kids from our point of view. Much higher than they are, further away. But I encourage you to try different angles when taking photos of your kids. Get up high and look down on them. What this will do is make their eyes open up just a little extra and if you follow the light and focus on the eyes tip, you will get gorgeous photos of their little peepers looking right up at you.
Also, don't forget to get down low, below them if you can, and try taking photos of the in their world from their perspective! My little Toby wasn't a very happy camper yesterday when I took these photos as I was putting together my ideas for this blog. But this is one of my favorite photos of him. I was lying on the floor looking up at him and he was looking at the computer behind me. He was very sleepy and wouldn't nap and.. well, that's an entirely different blog! :) But that is who he is at this stage in his life. He's a sleep fighter and sometimes that makes him cranky, which brings me to my next photography tip.
We naturally take photos of our kids from our point of view. Much higher than they are, further away. But I encourage you to try different angles when taking photos of your kids. Get up high and look down on them. What this will do is make their eyes open up just a little extra and if you follow the light and focus on the eyes tip, you will get gorgeous photos of their little peepers looking right up at you.
Also, don't forget to get down low, below them if you can, and try taking photos of the in their world from their perspective! My little Toby wasn't a very happy camper yesterday when I took these photos as I was putting together my ideas for this blog. But this is one of my favorite photos of him. I was lying on the floor looking up at him and he was looking at the computer behind me. He was very sleepy and wouldn't nap and.. well, that's an entirely different blog! :) But that is who he is at this stage in his life. He's a sleep fighter and sometimes that makes him cranky, which brings me to my next photography tip.
CRY IT OUT
Take photos of your kids in their natural form. Kids are excitable, emotional little creatures. They don't naturally sit still with their little hands folded perfectly in their laps with a perfect smile on their face. I love capturing my kids just who they are. Take pictures of them smiling, of course. But don't forget photos of them crying, sleeping, playing, quietly sitting in a corner reading a book, playing in mud for the first time. Catch them in a true moment of discovery or joy and snap a photo then and there. Those are the moments you will treasure the most.
In the top photo, my precious Mia is so sweet and gets embarrassed so easily. She gets this cute little grin on her face and I'm so happy I have this image of her to cherish. It is exactly who she is right now.
And poor little no nap Toby. Still crabby. But I remind myself that he's a baby and babies cry as their form of communication. Well, I have that memory captured. For sure. :)
Hopefully this little bit of information will help you the next time you want to take some pictures of your kids. I'm a practical person and I know it isn't reasonable for someone to call a photographer every time they want to get a picture of their baby's milestones or their son's baseball games. But I know I would want beautiful photos of my kids even though I haven't had training or done the research to learn the tricks of the trade when it comes to photography.
I hope when you are ready for a photographer to get professional photos of your kids, you call me. Because photographing kids is my absolute favorite and I learn something new every time I photograph kids. It's a win-win. :)
Please comment any questions you might have and you're always welcome to share your photos with me and I can help you improve (to the best of my ability! :) Visit my website for booking information and for my portfolio of children's photography and you can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter!
Take photos of your kids in their natural form. Kids are excitable, emotional little creatures. They don't naturally sit still with their little hands folded perfectly in their laps with a perfect smile on their face. I love capturing my kids just who they are. Take pictures of them smiling, of course. But don't forget photos of them crying, sleeping, playing, quietly sitting in a corner reading a book, playing in mud for the first time. Catch them in a true moment of discovery or joy and snap a photo then and there. Those are the moments you will treasure the most.
In the top photo, my precious Mia is so sweet and gets embarrassed so easily. She gets this cute little grin on her face and I'm so happy I have this image of her to cherish. It is exactly who she is right now.
And poor little no nap Toby. Still crabby. But I remind myself that he's a baby and babies cry as their form of communication. Well, I have that memory captured. For sure. :)
Hopefully this little bit of information will help you the next time you want to take some pictures of your kids. I'm a practical person and I know it isn't reasonable for someone to call a photographer every time they want to get a picture of their baby's milestones or their son's baseball games. But I know I would want beautiful photos of my kids even though I haven't had training or done the research to learn the tricks of the trade when it comes to photography.
I hope when you are ready for a photographer to get professional photos of your kids, you call me. Because photographing kids is my absolute favorite and I learn something new every time I photograph kids. It's a win-win. :)
Please comment any questions you might have and you're always welcome to share your photos with me and I can help you improve (to the best of my ability! :) Visit my website for booking information and for my portfolio of children's photography and you can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter!