This blog was inspired by my some of my mom girlfriends, who asked for some simple tips on how to take better pictures of their kids. They don’t have fancy cameras or lighting kits—they just have iPhones. The great thing about photography in 2019 is that’s all you need!
So today we’re going to cover how to take better pictures of your kids:
Look for the light.
Get on their level.
Get close up.
Show them your face.
Love the silly photos.
Side note: You can apply some of these to taking pictures of more than just children. I have just found them especially essential to capturing photos of my daughter that I want to display instead of delete.
How to Take Better Pictures of Your Kids
If you have a smart phone, there’s nothing between you and frame-worthy pictures of your kids except a few simple techniques. While nothing can replace professional photographs of the whole family, you don’t have to settle for dark, boring or awkward pictures of everyday life.
1. Look for the light.
If you want to take your photos from “meh” to “man, that’s a great pic!” my best piece of advice is this: Make. Them. Brighter.
And just between you and me, this is one of the biggest reasons I even have a business—although most people probably don’t know that’s why they’re hiring me. You may not realize it, but when you see a great photo, lighting is one of the biggest factors.
While most of my examples in this blog were taken on my phone of my baby, this little beauty is not my daughter, and this photo was taken on a Canon DSLR.
Professional photographers know how to use light to our advantage. Here’s how you can harness the power of light to take better pictures:
· Natural lighting will always look better than the flash. Try to take your pictures in a room with lots of windows. You can even open a door to let in more light.
· Avoid “ugly light,” such as midday sunlight or any light that is directly overhead and creates shadows on the face. That kind of harsh lighting doesn’t look good on anyone. This can be a challenge if you’re trying to take pictures of the kids playing outside, but if the sun is especially bright, try to get them in the shade of a building or tree. That way, the light on their faces will be even and your images will turn out much nicer.
Harsh, midday sunlight creates unflattering shadows.
Outdoor photos in the shade create a beautiful, even skin tone.
· On your smart phone, tap the face of your child to adjust exposure. On an iPhone, you can even hold your finger down on their face to pull up the vertical exposure bar and drag it up to make the scene brighter.
2. Get on their level.
If you typically take pictures of your kids standing tall above them, this one tip will make you love your photos so much more. (This will also set your pictures apart from every other mom’s!)
To get on their level, you want to crouch, sit, or even lay all the way down on the floor. Seeing a child from that angle is precious and makes for a much better picture.
3. Get close up.
Don’t be afraid to get the camera really close to your child. Getting close-ups will tune out background “noise” and truly make your child the focal point of the picture. Try some shots where your goal is to have their face and eyes fill up most of the screen.
There is nothing wrong with this photo, but the one on the right is better.
Getting close up will tune out the background noise. This was shot using Portrait Mode on an iPhone XS.
4. Show them your face.
I learned early on with my baby that when I hold my camera or phone up to take her picture, the smile leaves her face. That’s because, to her, it looks like I just disappeared!
Babies rely so much on eye contact, so be sure to peak out from around your phone or camera frequently with a big smile. This will assure them you haven’t abandoned them.
Bonus tip: the younger they are when you start warming them up to the camera, the easier it becomes. Starting well before she was a year old, my daughter would smile instinctively even if I was just sending a text message. The mere sight of the back of my phone triggered a proud pose! Now, you can judge for yourself whether or not that’s a great thing for her to learn so young . . . but it does make taking pictures a lot easier.
My daughter is a little ham. When she sees a camera now, she naturally smiles!
Believe it or not, she posed this way with zero prompting.
5. Love the silly photos.
One of the things I see parents get stressed out about is when their little ones aren’t posing just perfectly for the picture. And I’ve been there, I get it! We all just want a Pinterest-worthy shot for a cute gallery wall.
But think about which photographs of Little You that you enjoy the most. Is it the one where you and your brother are sitting stoically on the couch in matching pajamas? Or is it the one where you’re climbing over his shoulders, wearing sunglasses and pulling his hair?
What about pictures of your parents? Wedding photos are amazing and can reflect hilarious fashion trends, but so does that picture of your mom on the back of your dad’s motorcycle, sticking out her tongue in a skirt you can’t believe is that short!
And really, they don’t even need to be smiling. Some of the most stunning photos I’ve taken of children were caught in a moment where nothing was really going on. I think it’s especially beautiful to look back on how they looked during that “normal” moment in time.
How Pictures Affect Your Child’s Self-Esteem
Did you know that an easy way to lay a solid foundation for your child’s self-confidence is to put up pictures of them throughout your home? Seriously! Studies show that kids who see pictures of themselves regularly have higher self-esteem than those who don’t. And bonus points if you’re in the pictures with your children.
Psychologist and author David Krauss explains why this is so critical: "What it says to a child is, 'I'm important in this family.' It also shows a child he or she is meaningfully connected to others in the pictures.”
So now that you know how to take better pictures of your kids, when you’re ready for really cute pictures with them, shoot me a message! I’d love to photograph some memories that will bring your family joy for years to come.