Tips for Photographing Children (Who don’t always want to be in Photos)
One of the main reasons I wanted to learn how to work my camera was so that I could take good pictures of my children. And as Murphy’s law would have it, I have the most difficult children to photograph! I don’t often pull out my “big camera” with my own kids, but when I do, they seem to run in the opposite direction or throw up their hands and yell, “STOP!” Or, even worse, they make ridiculous faces or stick out their tongues (see sidebar for some of our funniest outtakes). I swear it’s wired into their brains to do that! I tell my families all the time that I have more, better photos of other people’s children than I have of my own! But on occasion, they do cooperate, and I learned several tricks that have allowed me to capture some treasures! (See slideshow below.)
A few fails that turned into faves:
You would have thought that I was torturing them, trying to get my boys to take a photograph with their grandpa at Thanksgiving. But it captures that time of my youngest’s life perfectly!
This is one of the FUNNIEST photos I have taken of my youngest son…I can’t wait to show his kids when he grows up! I was trying to recreate a cute photo I took of him when he was 9 months old at the same location, but he just WASN’T having it.
All I wanted was to take some cute sunset pictures of my boys while we were at the beach on summer vacation, and this is what they gave me. It wasn’t until the next year that they finally cooperated and gave me what I wanted! (See slideshow above.)
This is the same face I still get when I ask my oldest to smile for the camera.
If you’re trying to get good photographs of your own children, here are some suggestions that might help!
Keep your camera accessible. If you see a beautiful moment, grab the camera and snap…don’t try to recompose or pose—just go for it!
Don’t let them see the camera. Pull it out when they’re busy and least expect it. And it’s ok if they’re not looking at the camera! I’ve taken some fantastic photos of my kids without them even realizing it.
Get on their level. Get on your knees. Sit or lay on the ground. Don’t tower over them!
Just let them be themselves! This is probably the BEST piece of advice. All the best photos I have taken of my own kids is when they are just being themselves! Don’t force them into poses or make them look at you and smile. Embrace the craziness. Capture moments of family engagement and play…that makes the best memories AND photographs.
Show them a picture or two of themselves on the back of your camera. They looooove that and may be more willing to work with you so that they can see more! Better yet, if they’re old enough and seem interested, let them take a few photos of you, too! Show them how to use your camera (after securing the strap carefully!) and get them involved in the process.
If you do need them to pose and smile, bribe them. (Just make sure you don’t use a candy that turns their teeth green or blue!) And get someone they like to stand behind you and make silly faces or dance around!
Make silly faces WITH them. Often genuine laughter will follow, and that’s when you click your shutter.
Talk to them. When I am doing family photo sessions, the first family members I work on warming up with are the kids. I ask them all about their lives…how old they are, what their favorite characters are, what books they like reading, if they are involved in sports…They just want to be noticed and heard! And if you can get them talking about something they’re interested in, they will often forget that you are trying to take pictures of them.
Ask them funny questions or tell jokes. My favorites are “What do you get when you cross an elephant and Darth Vader? An elevator!” and “Knock, knock? Who’s there? Banana! Banana who? Knock knock? Who’s there? Banana! Banana who? Knock knock? Who’s there? Banana! Banana who? Knock knock? Who’s there? Orange! Orange who? Aren’t you glad I didn’t say banana?” Even cheesy jokes can bring out the genuine smiles and laughter.
If you have pets, take pictures of your kids playing with their pets. Tell your kids that you are photographing the pets, not them, and without that pressure, they’ll stay natural.
And even better, take pictures of your kids playing with their friends! Their friends may be more agreeable to being in front of a camera, and sometimes that positive attitude will rub off. At the very least, you can capture genuine photos of friendship and play, which will be cherished memories for you AND their friends’ parents!
Use continuous mode/take LOTS of pictures. Kids have such varied expressions, and you never know which ones might show up! So keep snapping, even when they are glaring at you.
This is a technical tip, but make sure your shutter speed is at least 250. Kids are QUICK, and unless they’re asleep, a slower shutter speed may create a blurry image.
Let’s normalize REAL LIFE vs. Instagram. Too many families only post their picture-perfect family photos. Start sharing REALITY!
And last but not least…Hire a photographer to take your family portraits or do a lifestyle session! Kids will often cooperate for a short time with a professional photographer more than they will with their own parents (hence the issues I have with my own kids).
