I have been putting forth a golden effort lately to be on social media less, and it has actually been pretty nice. It’s amazing how much more I can get done! I have started sewing again, occasionally folded some laundry, and have actually gotten a few books read that I checked out from the library. I do have a weakness, though–I love seeing the wonderful pictures of my friend’s sweet babies and kiddos. With the start of a new school year, it is nice to see the yearly documentation of kid’s first days of school. It always makes me think of my first grade first day of school picture: blue dress, peter pan collar, white socks and dress shoes, lugging a paper bag full of my school supplies. (What’s with the paper bag, Mom and Dad?! Where’s my cool backpack like the other kids, huh?)
Whether you love photography or not, documenting the lives of children seems to be an instinctual part of being human. From the first moments in the hospital, to the first steps, the first days of school, progressing to graduation and having kids of their own, it seems important to document the big moments that make up life. When confronted with the choice of what to save in the case of fire, rarely do you hear people state that they would run to save the TV. It’s nearly always family first, followed by pictures.
With all of these things in mind, here are just a few tips for photographing the little ones in your life:
Get your children used to being in front of the camera.
This is probably not a hard thing to do in today’s technologically-savvy society. Being in front of the camera these days is usually as simple as pulling out your phone. Many kids love to ham it up for the camera, but for those who are naturally camera-shy, help ease them into it by not making it into a big deal. I love to take pictures of my kids during their activities; if they look at the camera, great! If not, it’s no big deal. I also like to include them in the process by showing them the results. Lily loves to see pictures of herself and Baby Hazel. It usually helps to make the process more tolerable if she knows she gets to see the images afterwards.
Not every picture has to be picture-perfect.
One of the things I run into a lot when taking portraits of families are the kids who have been coached in the art of taking pictures. You know the ones: you pull out the camera, and the child cocks their head, folds their hands perfectly into place and gives you the sweetest little camera-ready smile. While it certainly does make it easier to grab a traditional family portrait that way, I also always like to get more relaxed photos of the kids being kids. A lot of times, these children keep looking back to their parents to make sure it’s okay. Let me state it right now: It’s okay!!! Our memories of our children growing up are not going to be of them being perfect; that’s because it doesn’t happen too often. What makes kids so fun to take pictures of is the fact that they are kids. Let them run and jump, let them whip their hair around and get dirt on their clothes. Have fun taking pictures of it! Many times, the not-so-perfect images are the ones that end up being our favorites.
Grab different angles.
Many pictures I see of kids are always taken from the parent’s perspective looking down at the kid. This can be a great technique to use, especially if you want to stress how small the child is. Many of my newborn shots are taken from straight above standing on a stool to grab a full-body shot. Sometimes I grab pictures of the girls playing on the floor from above. However, it’s also great to get down on the level of the child and show the world from the perspective of the child. If you want to get a nice close-up portrait of the child’s face, it’s especially important to get down to eye-level. If you really want to have fun with it, take some pictures from below. I’ve done this when Lily has been playing in her crib, and she always has a blast looking over the top at me. Be forewarned: if you do this, you will get climbed on.
Take pictures of the little moments.
Some of my favorite images have been shots I have taken when nothing in particular was going on, but I was just struck by something about my child: the wispy curls in her hair, the rolls of her thighs, the little bitty toes. While you certainly want to document the big moments, take a few pictures of the quiet moments as well.
Get in the pictures with your kids.
This is one I regretted not doing more when Lily was a baby, and I am trying to remedy with Hazel. While we are so very excited to take pictures of our children, it’s important to document moments of ourselves interacting with them. I wish I had more images of me with my own parents when I was little. Let me restress tip #2 here: not every image has to be picture-perfect. You may not have done your hair or makeup, and it’s okay. Taking pictures with your kids in the little moments will mean the world to them, especially when they are older.
Christina Freeman specializes in family, newborn, children and maternity portraits in the Dallas, TX and surrounding areas including Lewisville, The Colony, Richardson, Addison, Plano, Prosper, Frisco, Allen, Wylie, McKinney, Princeton and other Dallas, TX suburbs.
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