How To Photograph: Kids

 
How do we show mothers that they mean the world to us? Mums, on special occasions like birthdays, Mothers Day and Christmas, what meaningful gifts are given as a token of respect, love and gratitude?

 
I think there are as many answers to those questions as there are mothers. For me, as you can probably tell by the image heavy nature of my blog, I love photos. I love photographs of my kids.

 
Kids grow and change so quickly. Family life is not all smiles and laughter, but whenever I looking back at my (huge) library of photographs, I always leave it smiling.

 

How To Photograph: Kids

 

 
I’ve clicked away thousands and thousands of photos, (an occupational hazard of a mother and a blogger), and I’ve learnt a few tricks when it comes to the topic of how to photograph kids.

 
So, here are some lessons I’ve learnt when photographing kids. Here are my top 10 tips on how to photograph kids.

1. Kids need to trust you before you can enter their personal space. Build up a relationship with them before you start shooting. Be someone they want to be friends with, not someone who is there to take photos.
2. Learn how children play. Ask them questions about their toys. Get down to their level and play with them.
3. Take candid photos. Take photos without children realizing, thereby removing the temptation for them to play to the camera. Do your own thing and when they are relaxed and creating their own moments, grab your shots.
4. Be patient. Don’t expect to get your shots straight away. Sit back and wait for the right moment, then shoot quickly.
5. Shoot in continuous mode. Kids move. My kids move a lot. Increase your chances of capturing that great shot by shooting lots of continuous shots of a particular moment.
6. Close-ups are the best way to capture a child’s personality. You don’t need to capture the entire face.

 


 

7. Focus on their eyes. If a child’s eyes are in sharp focus, everything else can be forgiven.
8. Get down to the child’s level when you take your picture, rather than standing up and looking down at the child.
9. Place your subject off-centre. This makes the composition of your photo more interesting and dynamic.
10. Wherever possible, use natural lighting.

 

 
I’m by no means a professional photographer. I’ve never had a proper photography lesson, though I would dearly love one (hint hint!). However, I have learnt a few things about how to photograph kids, to have a reasonable amount of quality photos, capturing moments of our family life. To me, that’s a priceless gift.