Between the first fleeting moments of a newborn baby’s crying scream to the excited cheers of high school graduation, there are numerous cherished moments that parents hope to capture for their family photo albums.  But how do you take quick and awesome shots of your kids without the impatient eye rolling or if they have the attention span of a gnat?

Plan To Keep It Candid

The first tip is to keep it candid.  Posed photos are great but save those for specific moments like weddings, holiday cards and graduations.  When your kids are young and have milestone moments your objective is to capture split-second expressions.   Photographing ‘in-the-blink-of-an-eye’ moments are so important because they will enable you to vividly recall the time, place and story that went behind that image.  Candid images evoke the same emotion you had at the time the original image was taken.

Try a New Angle

One of the easiest and best tricks that separate amateur-looking images from professional images is the perspective of the photographer.  All too often we tend to take photos from one angle – at adult eye level standing up.  Next time you have the chance crouch down to eye level with your child.  See things from their perspective.  Or look down at them when they are sitting, with legs sprawled, scoping out their next adventure.

Fast Shutter Speed

There are many similarities with child and pet photography.  In both cases you can get great results when you get down to their eye-level, but both children and pets have unpredictable attention spans.  Be sure to set your camera to “sports” mode (if you have preconfigured camera settings) or to a fast shutter speed on your DSLR.  I typically set my shutter to 1/200 or higher depending on the situation.   That enables me to freeze those fast action shots.  A fast shutter will also capture those first few baby steps or goal kick into the net and freeze them for posterity.  Continuous or burst mode is also a great tool when taking photos of children.  With burst mode you can capture a series of images that tell a more complete story.  Frame the series to hang on your wall.

Avoid Bribery

It rarely works when a parent tries to coax their child into a pose by bribing them with a treat or toy. You want to capture children in their natural state and bribery will only confuse them.  It’s better to distract them if they don’t seem open to having their photo taken.  Take a few test shots of things around them and soon they’ll forget you’re even there.  Once they go back to playing in their natural state you’ll be amazed that in just a few minutes you will have some stunning and cherished photos with natural expressions.

Playtime is the Best Time to Have Your Camera

The best time to take candid photos is when your children are playing.  Whether you’re at a park, at home or on vacation get that camera ready for some of the best shots you’ll ever take.  Ansel Adams may have captured some stunning landscapes of Yosemite, but not a single one of his photos will ever be as precious to you as that great candid expression you’ve captured of your child.  Nowadays lots of parents have their mobile phone wherever they go.  Learn how to use your mobile phone camera, as that will be the one you whip out most often. Many smart phone cameras today are better than the best digital camera from 10 years ago.  So keep it accessible and learn to turn it on in a nanosecond.

Above all, don’t sweat the small stuff.  Keep it simple, and practice as often as you can, even if it’s just for a few minutes a day.  In no time you will be taking memorable and cherished photos of your kids.

Written by Tina Case

Tina Case is a writer and photographer located in the San Francisco Bay area.  She is an Adoramapix Ambassador where she writes about photography. She co-writes for the photography blog Moms Who Click where she shares photographer tips, tricks and interviews.  Tina shares her parenting stories and more on Yahoo! where she is a featured “Parenting Guru.” Check out more of her photography at Tina Case Photography, as well as on her Facebook and Instagram profiles.

Comments

comments