Photographing your own child is a struggle, even for photographers! My poor children have had a camera in their face since day one and generally aren’t too thrilled when they see me coming with it. Here are some tips and tricks you can use to make this experience go from frustrating to fun in no time!

1. Prepare them. I made some new backdrops this week that will be used generally for newborn and baby sessions, but I really wanted to try them out, and my kids were the perfect guinea pigs. Today we woke up to a grey day outside, which turns my front window into a giant softbox – great conditions for shooting! So this morning I mentioned a few times how, after lunch, we were going to do a fun photo shoot with Mom’s new backdrops. This got them used to the idea so that they weren’t caught off guard later or having me pull them away from another activity. You’ll also note that I planned the shoot for right after lunch. One of the variables in the mood of your child has to do with hunger. If you feed them right before a photoshoot, they will generally be happy and energetic as opposed to cranky and tired.

2. Clothing matters. If you’re doing a planned photoshoot, dress your children in clothes that are both comfortable and look great. In my instance today, I wanted to showcase the new backdrops, so I dressed my children in white t-shirts. If the clothing is comfortable for the child, they will also move freely and naturally in front of the camera.

3. Get down to their level. Put them up on a chair, kneel or lay down to take the shot, etc. Get on eye level with your child! This will also enable you to engage them and perhaps do an activity with them where you will capture genuine expressions.

4. Let the good times roll. If photographing siblings together, don’t try and pose them too much. If they are the type to sit still and follow commands, then by all means, take advantage! If not, just let them interact with each other.

5. Just keep trying. If your child is in a good mood, keep snapping away. For every good photo, there will likely be 5-10 bad ones. Just keep trying and playing and interacting with your children and pick up your camera periodically.
Here are a few bloopers from our little photoshoot today:

I hope this lists gets you on your way to capturing some beautiful photos of your children. Please share in the comments section if you have any tried-and-true tips for this challenging endeavour!

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Live life, blessed & happy!
Amy

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