7 Tips for Better Pictures of Your Kids

If you’re a parent, you’re a picture-taker.  Your kids are cute and hilarious and growing up way too quickly.  You just can’t keep yourself from taking pictures of them and no one blames you.

Maybe you have a fancy DSLR.  Maybe you have a simple point-n-shoot camera, or maybe your picture snapper tool of choice is your smart phone. No matter what you’re using, I’ve got a few tips for you that might be just what you need to turn your “pics” into photographs. All of the photos in this series were taken in my home, with very little natural light, in the middle of the day.  These tips are not technical.  You can use them with any device and in any situation.  (But for you tech-y, photography-loving readers: I used my Canon 7D and 35mm f/1.4L lens, no flash. Camera Settings: ISO 1000, f/2.5, 1/200 sec)

Ok…first, here’s a snapshot of the scene.  As you can see, it leaves room for a lot of improvement! So let’s get improving…

7 Tips for Better Pictures of Your Kids

1) Get down on their level. It seems so simple, but makes a huge difference.  So sit down, or even lay down on the floor and get at their level.

2) Clear away the clutter.  If you have kids, you have clutter.  It does tell part of the story to just leave it there…but it makes for a cluttered and distracting photograph.  By removing some distractions, your eyes will be drawn more easily to the subject.  Insider tip:  If you think your kiddo will be gone by the time you totally declutter his surroundings, do it in stages.  First, I cleared away the clutter around him…the shoes and the box.

I took another picture and when he stayed put, I cleared up the clutter in the background…

3. Don’t forget the details.  The details of how they play, their little hands and toes, their toys of choice…they help tell the story.

4. Step back.  Get the whole scene in the frame.

5. Try another angle.  Shooting straight down, like a bird’s-eye-view is a fun angle to try with kids.

6. Explore “white space”.  White space in an image isn’t necessarily white.  It’s just blank space in a photo.  Rather than a full, busy, heavy image, leave the majority of the frame blank.  This draws the viewer’s eye to the edge or corner where the focal point is.  These images may or may not be your cup of tea, but I like the artsy-vibe of them.

7. Interact with your kiddo!  Ask questions.  “What do you have there?”  “Can you show me that?”  “Wow, that’s really cool, tell me how you did that.”  And snap away as they allow you to enter into their little world.

So there you go…seven simple ideas that might transform your photos a little.  Pick one or two, give them a try, and let me know how it goes!