How to Take Great Photos of Your Child

Children are naturally photogenic. Ive worked in studios and children are so easy to photograph. What I hear from parents is that they dont think that their kids are that easy to photograph. Thats only because they dont know some basic tips.

1. Young children especially infants take beautiful photos while they are asleep. Keep the light natural avoid flash if at all possible. Keep the image tight on the child and crop out distractions. For infants when theyre awake youre better off having another person in image, it gives the child someone to interact with and you can crop the shot to keep the other person out of the image or you can keep the adult and child in the photo.

2. Toddlers look best when they dont know that youre taking their photo. Candid shots are the way to go for this age group. Keep your camera handy and when they start doing something cute snap the photo quick. Remember your child doesnt have to be looking directly into the camera to take a great photo. Dont ever say to the toddler, Oh how cute, now look here. It wont happen.

3. Children ages 4 plus are really good at sitting for photos. But if youre going to dress them up make sure that they are comfortable and dont put them in some outfit they hate, it will show in the image. Crop tight on your subject, keep the light natural, and if youre using a toy to get their attention make sure that it makes them laugh and doesnt scare them. (I learned that lesson the hard way.)

4. Older children are really good at dressing up for photos. The hardest thing will be getting a natural smile from them. Say, cheese is a sure fire way to get a fake smile. Most of us learned young to smile automatically at that cue. Here you have to get silly. One time I was working with a young boy and his older sister. She was a natural smiler and loved being dressed up. He was not happy and kept pulling at his tie. His mother straightened it for the tenth time. I posed them and addressed the young boy I said, Now on the count of three I want you to say, I hate this tie! His sister smiled surprised at what I said, and he grinned. I took the photo. He then screamed, I hate this tie! Again both smiled wide and I took a second photo. The images turned out beautiful.

I hope these tips help you to take better photos of your child. With a little practice and a few tips youll see better family photos immediately.

If you have some specific questions please visit my Photography Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/index.php and post your question there.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

---

Stock Your Kit with Digital Camera Accessories

There are a large number of digital camera accessories available... Read More

Photography - Rules of Composition

Composition is defined as the combining of distinct parts or... Read More

Creating Printable Photo Greeting Cards

STAY CONNECTED WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.Making your own digital photo... Read More

Using a Camcorder to Record Family Events Quickly and Easily

Let's start there (but not spend too much time on... Read More

Photo Equipment Lists

You arrive at your photo shoot excited about the images... Read More

Choosing The Right Digital Camera

Let's get something straight right out of the box. If... Read More

Disposable Underwater Cameras

Disposable digital and film cameras (also called single-use cameras) provide... Read More

Color Management, the Digital Darkroom, and Adobe Photoshop

PrefaceIn order to understand color management, it is important to... Read More

Black & White Photography

Photography is a diversified field of creating a spectral variety... Read More

Photography Poses ? The Missing Ingredient

You've read all the "best digital camera" articles, got the... Read More

Memories That Get Lost

How many people have pictures in a shoe box? In... Read More

Digital Camera Auto Exposure and Auto Focus

The digital camera being a fantastic and technologically advanced device... Read More

Is Digital Photography Expensive?

Being such a fascinating device as the digital camera, this... Read More

How to Easily Start Up Your Own New Photography Business From Home

With modern technology in the form of SLR digital cameras,... Read More

The Best Wildlife Camera To Take On Safari

Good wildlife camera equipment on safari can make the difference... Read More

What You Need To Buy A Digital Camera Wholesale

Digital cameras are available in several price ranges today. They... Read More

Light and Depth of Field

With such a fantastic device as the digital camera for... Read More

The Paradigm: Going Digital

As you might imagine the paradigm shift from traditional film-based... Read More

Infrared Photography and the Car Thief ? Successful Digital Imaging

Infrared photography is sometimes placed on the outside edge of... Read More

Photographing Kids

Kids grow up so quickly and while we are often... Read More

Tips for Taking Better Vacation Photos

Photos are a great way to share your travel experiences... Read More

Start Your Own Photography Business from Home

Anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills... Read More

Easy Tips for Digital Photo Touchups

Using a digital camera to take pictures is great. It's... Read More

Stitching Memories

Sometimes, usual photographs look so common and boring. Converting your... Read More

Digital Cameras and Digital Photography

Before you rush into buying your digital camera this holiday... Read More

CCTV Camera Tip: Apply Simple Common Sense when Picking CCTV Cameras and Lenses

Get a good face shot: Use Higher quality cameras at... Read More

A New Way to Use Old Snapshots

If you're like me, you have hundreds of photographs sitting... Read More

Underwater Photography: The Wonders Under the Sea

The world of photography is an amazing one. It's been... Read More

Weddings, From a Photographers Point of View

Your wedding day is without a doubt one of the... Read More

Inspired Vision

A picture is worth a thousand words, so goes a... Read More

Everybody is Fixing Their House or Apartment Up These Days. Use That Digital Camera to Capture

That's right, you go through all the trouble of making... Read More

Getting Rid of Red Eye

The photos you took of the party are really great... Read More

Black and White is Beautiful

Think about Laurel and Hardy for a moment, or Charlie... Read More