Taking Great Photos of Kids

One of the most fun and rewarding type of photography is taking photos of kids. Whether its taking photos of your own children, neighbors, friends or your relatives kids, you know when you get a great shot when everyone wants a print of it. Taking great photos of kids can be rewarding, but it can also be challenging.

Unlike adults, kids can’t stand still for long periods of time. They want to move about, explore and interact with the other kids that may be around. The younger the kids, the harder it is to have them sit still and pose. The best you can do is to first prepare, then “roll with the flow”.

From personal experience, I find that the best photos I’ve taken of children came out of the less-restrictive of environments. Lets face it, it’s hard to get some children to pose the way their parents want them too. The best thing to do is to capture them at the moment they are doing what they do best, at play!

Step 1: Schedule Photos At The Best Time For The Kids

If you’re going to be shooting photos of small children and you have the opportunity of being able to pick a time, try to schedule your session a few hours before their naptime! Although photos of cranky kids can be cute sometimes, you’ll want to catch the kids at a time that they aren’t tired. If they’re your kids, you’ll know, if the children are someone else’s, ask them what’s the best time to take photos. The last thing you want to do is arrive and have the kids ready for their nap!

Step 2: Plan For The Type Of Photos You Want

Sit down with the parents of the kids or your spouse if you’re photographing your own kids and discuss what type of photo’s you want to take. Decide if you want to use any special props such as athletic equipment or musical instruments in the photos. Does the child have a special stuffed animal or chair that should be part of the photographs? Be creative and make sure the parents (if other than yourself) would like anything special done while shooting the photos. They’ll be very grateful you asked and the information will help you in your effort to do a great job!

Step 3: Get Setup For Photos Before The Kids Are Ready

If you’re going to be taking photos of kids with a studio setup, you’ll want to make sure the kids don’t have to sit, watch and wait until your backgrounds, lights, stands, and digital camera are all set up. Don’t bring them in until you’re absolutely ready. Go through your camera setup ahead of time, making sure the proper mode, aperture, flash, white balance and focus is set. Double check your file size and ISO settings as well.

Step 4: Take Test Shots

Ask one of the older kids (if there are any) or an adult to volunteer for some test shots so you can make sure all your settings are correct and ready to go. Review your test shots on your LCD and histogram. Check to make sure your focus, white balance and exposure are correct.

TIP

Bribery always helps when taking photos of kids. Stick a couple of small stuffed animals in your camera bag, then ask the kids to go into your bag to grab something for you. When the kids discover what’s in the bag, tell them the stuffed animals are a present for them. You’ll make an instant friend, and the kids will become more comfortable with you right from the start. Resources for your bribes are readily available at fast food joints and dollar stores, start collecting them for these types of special occasions.

Step 5: Pose The Kids and Take Photos

Keeping in mind the planning steps you’ve taken and the poses you’ve planned to take, start with the most desired photo you’ve agreed upon. Keep Mom as a resource to help with the posing, but keep in mind that may even distract the children. If that approach isn’t working, see if the kids will listen to your instructions. Make sure other family members aren’t in back of you, it can distract the kids you’re photographing and you can wind up with photos where the kids are looking in all different directions.

Try to work quickly, but review the images on your LCD to make sure you are getting what you want. Make sure you’re focusing on the children’s eyes and that you have cropped properly with your zoom lens.

If the kid or kids become distracted and losing interest after taking some photos, take a break. It doesn’t make sense to force them to do anything they don’t want to at that moment, it will ruin the fun! Take the opportunity to let the kids “recharge” for 5 minutes while you review some of the photos on the LCD. See what worked so you can plan for more photos. Ask the kid or kids if they are ready to take some more photos before getting back to “work”, make them feel like they are part of the process, and fun.

Expect the unexpected. After all, kids will be kids, take advantage of the situation. Let the kids be themselves, jump up and down, have fun, all while your taking their photo and getting some great shots.

After taking all the photos you had planned for and a bunch of shots you didn’t plan for, review the photos on the digital camera’s LCD, with the parents if the children aren’t your own. See if there were any poses that didn’t work out and try to shoot those again. Review exposure, lighting, white balance and focus to make sure you are getting the best from your digital camera. If necessary, make any adjustments and take some more photos, if the kids are up to it.