Photographing Children

Click.

Oops, moving around too much.

Click.

Aw man! Closed eyes.

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Hands over face?!?!?

Click.

Come on! Just one picture!

Click.

Alright! I’m done…

These are common things you may say while taking pictures of children. I have had this experience and let me say, photographing children is not always easy.

You are about to click the shutter and BAM! they run off. You have so many good ideas for this cute 5 year old to do in these pictures! But she will not cooperate. You have a group of children and you’re at the park with a camera. You ask them to hold hands and smile. You take the picture and think it’s a great one, but you look and see that only one child is smiling. One child has an angry face, one child is facing his back towards you, and another child is closing her eyes. Some children are not like this, they will do anything you desire, and be willing to pose for as many pictures as you want. Other children don’t like being photographed; making it really hard to get some nice pictures. How do you get these children to pose nicely and smile? It’s not so easy, but it’s possible. Here are some ways that I use to get children to smile. 

          Let them run around and play before you take pictures. Sometimes getting their energy out really can help.

          Let them take some silly pictures before smiling. Even sad, or mad can make some really cute pictures. Another way to get them to smile is to make them laugh. Have their mom or dad do a funny dance or tickle them before you take a picture; this option really works on babies really well.

         Try doing what they want first. Last time I did it, the children I was photographing really listened to what I was asking after I let them do what they want first.

         A blurry picture? Sometimes that’s because of the child moving around too much, or it can end up being you. When there’s not enough light in a room or outside, pictures can end up blurry.

        If you can’t get them to do anything at all, bribe them. If you bribe them with candy or a treat, they can look forward to the end of the shoot so that they will do all your ideas, no matter how odd.

        Even if they aren’t smiling, or they’re turning their back, it can still make some good pictures. But if they are closing their eyes, just try shooting another picture. You never know, they may be opening in the next one.

        Candid shots are always fun too. Take a picture when someone isn’t paying any attention, it may be a good shot. It doesn’t always matter if someone is not looking. It can end pretty awesome. Some candid shots can also tell stories. Take pictures of them playing a game with their friends, they will be having fun, and you will have some sweet photos.

       When photographing babies it can get really difficult, maybe play some soothing music, or have some pictures of the mom or dad feeding the baby if he/she’s hungry. If the baby is tired, sleeping pictures are always a plus. Just make sure to be quiet. If all else fails, maybe try photographing this baby another time.

No, I am not a professional, but these are all tips that have worked for me in the past and I wanted to share. Maybe they’ll end up helping you photograph children much easier than before. Just remember, you shouldn’t delete a picture unless you’re absolutely sure you want to. Some pictures you may think are bad could end up 

becoming something cute!

Did this post help you? Do you have any more tips for photographing children?

Happy Photographing,

Iona

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Photos by Iona Nicole

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