Amanda Ellis Photography | 5 Tips for Photographing Kids

We’ve already talked about how to photograph those sweet babies, but today I’m going to give you some easy tips on capturing the insanely fun balls of energy that babies turn into: kids! These tips will work regardless of whether you have a DSLR, a digital point and shoot, or even your phone’s camera (read this post for more about getting the best pictures using your phone!)

1. Ditch the cheese
You want these photos to look natural and to not be forced and tense so just make sure you’re relaxed and have fun with them! Be patient and let them get used to the fact that you have a camera and get comfortable with the situation. Talk to them, play with them, make them smile and laugh and talk with you naturally and you’ll get the most perfect and genuine expressions to capture. Also, take into account timing: try to photograph the children when they would naturally be in a happy mood (well fed, well rested, etc.) and don’t wear them out, keep any shooting time short! For posing, try to go with the flow and follow their lead but if you do want them to be in particular positions demonstration trumps explanation every time-show them what you want them to do (and if you’re a little silly with it, all the better!)

2. Get on their level and play with angles
Most of the time, adults are taller than children and shooting from above may get you a distorted view, so I suggest trying to take the majority of photos at their eye level (this may mean bending down or laying on the floor but-hey-they may think that’s funny and give you a great shot!) If there are multiple kiddos in the shot, try to get yourself at the height of the tallest child (unless they are particularly tall). But, other than that, play around with what angles you shoot from to see what ends up looking best. It’s always best to get lots of options to choose from later. Which brings me to my next tip…

3. Take lots and lots of pictures
You never know when they’re going to do something hilarious or sweet or what angle is going to end up being magic so just keep shooting! Plus, once those littles get mobile, it is hard to slow them down so if (and when) they’re moving all over the place and you’re trying to photograph them try to use a high shutter speed (at least 1/250) to avoid blurry photos. If you’re using a smartphone you can download an app to manually adjust shutter speed, or, at least, use burst mode! It will take multiple shots at once and then, later, you can decide what’s usable and delete anything else (but wait until you get the pictures to your computer, something may look like a dud on your phone but after a closer look it may end up being a favorite!)

4. Draw the focus
The main focus of these pictures is the kids, so don’t be afraid to keep things simple and uncluttered. Regardless of backgrounds, props, etc.- when you can, focus on the eyes. If your camera is able to focus manually try to stick the focus right on the child’s eye. Or, even if you aren’t able to manually focus, being able to catch a shot where there’s some light falling on their face can help their eyes come alive. It can also be nice to make the child’s face the brightest thing in the picture. You can do that just by making sure their backdrop is darker or you can try to expose their face using your camera’s settings (Look into the ‘exposure compensation dial’ and ‘ae lock’ button. If you’re using an iPhone: tap on their face then lock the exposure by holding your finger down until ‘af/ae lock’ appears . Now get ready for your shot, fine-tune the exposure by sliding your finger upwards or downwards, and finally take the picture.)

5. Capture the moments
Childhood is fleeting and kids are unpredictable, don’t sit around waiting for the perfect shot, capture them as they are and life as it is! Photos that result from candid moments and real reactions are oftentimes the best ones. It’s what you’ll miss when they grow up.

And when you don’t want the hassle of trying to photograph your own kids, give me a call! I pride myself on getting genuine smiles and emotion from kids. They LOVE me and I have the best time photographing all ages!