I know how important it is to capture those special moments and memories of your children! As I am sure you would like to hire me to follow you around to photograph your life (I’m so kidding)… that just isn’t an option. So I have created this guide as a reference for you to take pictures of your own children.

You don’t have to be a pro to take good pictures, and you don’t have to have an expensive fancy camera either. I just hope that you get creative and inspired from these shared tips and examples.

• It’s all about the perspective. Be sure to change your view whether it is getting down to their level to see the world through their eyes or looking down at them to show their small size.
• Distract your children to help them forget about the camera. Engage with them in conversation by asking them questions of things they are interested in. Make silly faces or play peek-a-boo from be hind the camera. This will get your children genuinely smiling and laughing, for those beautiful natural expressions!
• Relax and make it fun! Kids can tell when mom or dad are getting stressed trying to get that perfect picture. If the parents are relaxed then the children are relaxed as well. Having a digital camera allows you to get creative and experiment so take as many pictures as your children will allow and have fun with it!
• Capture them in the act. I love taking candid shots of my kids playing! It is a fun way to document their personalities as they discover new joys of life! Have your camera handy so you don’t miss a moment.
• Zoom on in. You can avoid distracting clutters which are in the background. This also allows you to go unnoticed when taking their picture, so they remain in their natural state. And don’t forget to take close ups of their face showing off that beautiful smile.
• Details, Details, Details! This is a helpful way to tell the story of a particular moment (especially for you scrapbooking parents). It can be a picture of their feet dangling down from the chair, their color crayons scattered on the table, a favorite toy they were just playing with… anything goes with detail shots, so get creative.
• If you are outside find some open shade so you aren’t in direct sunlight. Being in shade gives a more flattering soft light, where as being in direct sunlight can be harsh creating unflattering shadows. If there is no shade have your children’s back towards the sun and turn on your flash to help fill their face with light so it isn’t too dark. When indoors get them close to big windows that let in natural light making sure that they are far enough back from any direct sunlight that might be peeking in.

Have fun capturing those wonderful memories of your children, they grow so quickly so don’t let those precious moments slip on by!

For those with an ipad or iphone you can download these Photography Tips for free as an APP directly to your your device by opening this LINK on your ipad or iphone. (This APP may be compatible with other smart phone and tablet devices, but it isn’t guaranteed to work, sorry for the inconvenience.) A great way to have a quick reference at your fingertips!