We've all been there- hoping to take a picture of the kids in their new outfits.
But between the loosing 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.
5 Secrets to Taking "The" Photo of Your Kids!
With these 5 Secrets 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
I have 2 little girls myself, and when they want to run around outside, good luck stopping them! The older one (7) I can work with a little better than the 2 year old.
Try these easy prompts for your older kids to follow:
"Put your hands in your pockets, thumbs out! Now turn our body 3/4 away from me, look at me, and smile!"
"Grab your dress & push it back & forth like the wind!"
Try to snap that shot in the first 5 seconds! Those beautiful smiles fade quickly!
Good luck getting that little boy to hold still!
Posing
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Lighting
You may heard photographers talk about "Golden Hour" sometimes.
Actually- we seem to be 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!
Try this:
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.
time of day makes a big difference
Real Vs. Fake Smiles
Ohhhh boy.
I've been there when the kids think that smiling means to literally show their teeth and and act miserable.
I've been there & I've even done that myself. You'll have a hard time finding anyone that hasn't in their life.
So how do we convince them to let out that REAL smile that we KNOW is there?
We stoop to their level of course.
I've pretended to be a dragon about to gobble up my kids from behind the camera, and it WORKS. Be crazy, be goofy, be happy!
"Can you please smile like you're NOT in pain???"
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Focus
My toddler is stubborn to say the least, and I know that I'm not the only one that struggles here.
My favorite trick is to grab a pack of gummies right before we go outside, and when I have them in generally the right place I pose them and jump back to capture it!
Sometimes my toddler will start to wander, and that's when I whip out the gummies and start to crinkle them up.
I don't think I've seen my kid's head spin around quite so fast!
Don't let your kids eat gummies? No big deal! Grab their favorite snack or toy to capture their attention.
I wonder if this is considered bribing...
"Look over here, hey! Look at momma! I know you can hear me!"
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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.
I know you can't always control your kid's attitude...
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With these 5 secrets you can create beautiful images just like the ones you see here!
Thank you for letting me share this with you!
now you know!
If you feel like these have helped you please share the images that you have taken of your kids using these 5 steps!
I would love to hear all about your experience!
get booked now
Availability for every month will be different- my busiest time of the year falls between September-November. These dates are normally booked anywhere from 8 to 15 months in advance! If you're hoping to work together for your wedding or portrait session I highly suggest scheduling a consultation as soon as you choose your date!
