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Health & Fitness

Ten Tips for Improving Photographs of Your Kids

Amy Drucker is a professional photographer specializing in lifestyle portraits of children. Today she's sharing ten basic tips that anyone can use to get better pictures of their own kids.

Anyone with kids knows how fleeting each stage can be. (Except for the one where toddlers won’t eat anything except macaroni—that one goes on forever). At some point, most of us try to capture one or another of these stages in pictures. Today I’m sharing ten basic tips that anyone can use to improve the photos you take of your kids.

What do you need to incorporate these things into your picture-taking? Do you have a camera—even a phone that takes pictures? Then you're good to go. One thing that every professional photographer hears at some point or another is: “What great photos! You must have a really fancy camera.” Makes me nuts. While there are, of course, things you can do with a ‘fancy’ camera that you couldn’t do otherwise, none of them will ever matter if you don’t know how to take a picture. An analogy I like to use is the expensive car. A good driver is a good driver, no matter how fast their car goes. So, whether you shoot film, use a point and shoot, a top of the line DSLR (digital single lens reflex) or your cell phone camera, there are some things you can do to take better pictures of your kids.

1. Get Down Low
To shoot kids it really helps to get down on their level. Kneel, lay down, crawl around, whatever. You can make a really intimate portrait when you are at eye level with your subject. Plus it’s good for your soul to play on the floor.

2. Stand Up Tall
Now that I’ve told you to get down on their level—stand back up again, or even better, stand on something. Looking down on a child can create a dramatic effect while showcasing their smallness.

3. Don’t Ask Them to Pose
Telling a kid to ‘stand still’ or ‘put your hands on your hips’ is he quickest way lose their attention. Who wants to stop playing to pose in a funny position? Try to capture them while they’re engaged. Don’t expect them to put down their favorite toy or stop reading a book for a picture. Make the most of their natural fascination and capture it. Keep shooting while they play, and shoot a lot. One of those pictures will be interesting.

4. Shift Your Perspective
Most amateur photographers make the mistake of placing their subject smack in the center of the frame. This is the quickest way to a photo that is just ‘okay’. To ramp it up, try moving your camera a little bit in either direction—effectively removing the subject away from the center.

5. Details
Look for small and hidden details of childhood. A child’s hands covered with flour while they’re helping you bake or a shot of their boots while they’re jumping in a puddle tell a very descriptive story.

6. Zoom In
Don’t worry about fitting all parts of your subject in the frame. My favorite image of my littlest one remains one where the top of his head is chopped off. By focusing on a small area between his forehead and chest I was able to really capture his essence.

7. Zoom Out
Now that you’ve zoomed in, try zooming out again. Highlighting how tiny they are next to those giant dinosaur bones at the museum, for example, will help showcase the wonderment and beauty of being small.

8. Consider the Light
Try turning off your flash and using room lights for a dramatic look, or placing their toys in front of a window and shooting while they play. Many of my best portraits were taken on overcast days near a window when the diffuse light is very flattering.

9. Be Prepared
If you’re reading this you probably have kids and therefore already know the importance of the old boy scout adage. Shooting great pictures is no exception to that rule. If I had to pick the most important tip in this article, this would be it. None of the other pointers matter if you don’t have your camera with you. Keep it with you at all times and check the batteries occasionally. Throw it in your diaper bag or purse when you go out—you never know when the magic will happen and you’ll be able to capture it.

10. Take Your Camera off Auto
Sorry, I know I told you these tips weren’t about the equipment, but a little understanding of how that thing works can go a long way. Most point and shoot cameras have all kinds of functions that can improve your photography but many people often never know what they are. Even cell phone cameras have features you may not know about. Take the time to read up on how to use them.

And a bonus since that last one was sort of a bait and switch:
11. Stay Out of the Sun
I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me on bright sunny days ‘what a great day for pictures!’. Not true. Think about it, no one looks fantastic while squinting into bright sunlight. And the higher the sun is in the sky, the harsher the shadow it will cast on you. Almost everywhere you go in bright sunlight you cast a shadow on yourself. If it’s bright and sunny out and you want a photo, look for a shady spot. A porch or building overhang are great. Trees are good too, but often they provide only partial shade and partial sun—be aware of bright spots on your subjects.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
“Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.” -Matt Hardy

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