We’ve all been there- hoping to take a picture of the kids in their new outfits. Between the losing focus, the fake smiles, and maybe even a little bit of yelling (looking at you, mom!) you just give up and walk away with something subpar. With these 5 Secrets for better pictures of your kids you can take your cell phone pictures to the next level.
You don’t have to be a photographer to get clean pictures like these!
Below we will go over the following steps:
– Posing
– Lighting
– Real Smiles Vs. Fake Smiles
– Focus
– Attitude
The 5 Secrets For Better Pictures
Real vs. Fake Smiles
You might hear yourself repeating these words when you’re taking a picture of your kids, “Hold still, now look at the camera, and say “Cheese!” Common guys, a REAL smile!”
That might work to get the same old picture, but 8 our of 10 times the smile you’re getting is… well, just as fake as that picture. That’s not your fault, and it’s not the kids’ fault. It happens to just about everybody! The best way to get a real smile with beautiful posing for your kids? Use these prompts for your older kids to follow & trust me- they will be grinning ear to ear! A picture worthy of sending to Grandma!
Prompts:
✨ Take your dress & spin for me!
✨ Turn on some music & encourage dancing
✨ Sing Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes faster & faster until they can’t contain their little laughter anymore
✨ Offer to bring out The Tickle Monster
Lighting
Time of Day Makes A Big Difference
Have you ever heard of “Golden Hour”?
If you’ve heard from your photographer in the past, “Let’s schedule your session during Golden Hour!” Then you’re not alone. So many photographers are obsessed with it! It’s the last 2 hours before the sun sets and it gives off a dreamy glow.
Let’s be real though, you can’t ONLY take pictures of your kids during this time- and that’s okay! Instead of waiting for Golden Hour to come around every single day, I encourage you to use a few tricks that I bring out during my own session!
1) Move your child somewhere shaded and try to keep the background shaded, too! This will keep everything on the same ‘level’ and our eyes will be drawn to your child- not the background!
2) Place them in the sunlight, facing away from the sun, and shield your phone camera from the sun to give them a beautiful glow
Posing
You’ll be hard pressed to find a child that wants to jump through hoops to get the “perfect picture”. So many times the kids end up bored half way through the process, and we can’t really blame them can we? We’re expecting them to stand still, give us a real smile, and it be a work of art. Or at least something that we can send to Grandma.
A few of my go to poses for kids during indoor (& outdoor) sessions are:
✨ Sitting in a chair & turned 3/4 of the way
✨ Skipping towards the camera
✨ Racing a sibling to a parent
✨ Spinning
You’ll find the most joy with your children if you’re capturing a picture of them doing something that they love
Focus
“Look over here! Hey! Look at momma! I know you can hear me…”
My youngest is stubborn to say the least, and I know that I’m not the only one that struggles here.
Kids have an attention span that lasts what feels like seconds when you’re trying to get a good picture. Try to keep this adventure under 3 minutes! That will help your kids not feel overwhelmed, and you’ll get genuine smiles while they’re actually interested in this activity. Feel like they’re slipping away relatively quickly? Be open with them about the time frame! Remember, our kids mirror our energy, so make sure that you’re making this into a chore, or else you’ll really lose them.
Attitude
I know you can’t always control your kid’s attitude
But here I’m not talking about their attitude- I’m talking about yours!
The experience that you give your child while taking these pictures will directly affect how they act & how these pictures will turn out!
They feed off of your energy, so if you are a big ball of happiness & joy just for the 3 minutes it takes to get these pictures- you will see that reflect in them!
Remember that they’re still kids & any picture you take of them will be perfect because it’s them.
Maybe You’re Tired of Taking Pictures of Your Kids, and You Want to be IN Them!
Capturing memories and the connection between you & your children is what I do best. You tell the story, I just capture it in portraits. Stop being caught behind the camera, and give your children the best gift you could give them.
A detailed story of your love for them, through portraits.
Book Miranda as Your Family Photographer Now: http://www.mirandaeoriophoto.com/families
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