4 Essential Photography Tips For Moms
The kids in Mexico
Every mom that I know has a camera roll full of photos of their kids on their phones, and who could blame us?! We have adorable children doing adorable things and how could we not take photos of them all day long? Most moms don’t have trouble thinking to take pictures of their kids, but many moms that I know aren’t fully satisfied with how the photos they’re taking turn out.
I have 4 easy-to-implement tips that will help you love the photos that you’re taking even more!
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1. Get on your child’s level
The kids posing in the snow
One of the biggest mistakes that I see parents make is taking photos of their kids from unflattering angles. When you're snapping photos of your little ones, it’s essential that you get down on their level and take the photo from their height, rather than taking a photo of them while you stand above them. You’ll get more detail in the photos and the photo will be more balanced this way!
If you’re going for a photo from above them that is intentional, like taking a picture of them laying down, that’s different! Just be mindful if you’re taking a photo of them standing that almost always you should kneel down to get directly on their level.
2. Take the photo in front of a wall
Stopping for a quick photo
An easy way to get a flattering photo of your kids that allows them to be the focus of the shot is to have them stand in front of a wall before you take the picture! This allows your background to be clutter and distraction free and will make your child the only focal point in the shot! It also tends to make it easier when taking photos of toddler that tend to be squirmy because it creates a natural boundary on where they can go. Moving side to side to get a great shot of your little one is a lot easier than running around a room to get them to look at your camera!
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3. Move away from “say cheese”
The kids posing while gardening
I go into a lot more detail about how to get your child to smile in photos, here, but I’ll summarize the main points. When we stand behind our camera and shout at our kids to “say cheese” it rarely leads to the big genuine smile you’re hoping for. Instead, try turning into a game for them.
“Can you see the monkey in my camera lens” is a quick way to get them to look at the camera! To raise your chances of getting a smile, add monkey sounds from behind the camera and watch them light up.
“Wow you’re a dinosaur! Look at my camera and give me a big roar!” And then rapidly take photos of the inevitable giggle that follows the roar.
Basically, the best way to get the smile you’re hoping for is to work with your child instead of against them. “Stand here and say cheese” does not translate well to toddlers. They don’t like to stand still and they don’t understand why they’re saying cheese.
4. Go where the light is
Posing by the letter board
Taking photos in our homes can be tricky if you aren’t trained to use a flash or adjust your camera settings for poor lighting situations. Instead of turning on an overhead light that can often make your photos look yellow and unnatural, try moving towards a window. Adjust your child to face towards the window and all of the natural light flooding into the room will land on your kid’s cute face. In the photo above, we positioned my son to be directly to the side of a window.
The room he we were in was naturally pretty dark but by taking this photo right next to the window, it added the perfect amount of natural light to get a beautiful shot! Just make sure that you aren’t shooting directly towards the window with your child in front of the window, as this will create a backlit situation that be difficult to work with unless you know camera settings or editing skills to balance it out!
Stopping on the trail for a quick picture