Top 5 Tips For Photographing Kiddos - Calgary Family Photographer

June 20, 2019

Top 5 Tips For Photographing Kiddos | Calgary Family Photographer

Photographing kiddos can be interesting to say the least. You never know what they are going to do or say, if they will be happy and smiley or sad and cranky. They might play shy and want to hide behind mom or be outgoing and want to stand in front of you the whole time and block their sister. It really is an adventure! After many years of photographing family I have put together a couple of my top 5 tips for photographing kiddos.

Cut the Cheese – Kids have been program since really little to smile and say cheese the moment a camera comes out. Why cheese, I’ll never know. I would much rather have your kids play and interact with you as a family then stand in a stiff pose and say “CHEESE” as loud as they can. Believe me the cheese face is never a good face.
Relax – Photographing kids can be challenging but it will be even harder to get real true smiles if you are forcing them to do something. This goes for parents too. Kids can tell if you anxious or nervous and will feed off that. Sessions should be fun and normal not weird and up tight. Play with your kids normally during the shoot, that’s when yours and their true smiles will come out and will make my job that much easier.
Let them explore – Kids love adventure and imagination so let them explore the area where the photos will happen. There is nothing worse then forcing a kid to sit in front of a backdrop when they just want to crawl. The kiddo doesn’t have to look at the camera the whole time to get amazing photographs. Sometimes to sweet quiet moments where they are playing with a piece of grass or running wild playing chase are the best moments captured.
Bribing – Not gonna lie I am so not above bribery. Kids need motivation and if that motivation just happens to be a Smartie or a piece of gum why not?!? There is no judgement here. Of course if you child is an angle and will sit and smile all on their own even better but believe me a little chocolate motivation never hurts.
Never put down your camera – By putting down your camera you are making it easy for moments to slip by. During a family session or children’s session just keep snapping. Kids move so fast that one minute they will be in the perfect pose and the next second they aren’t so keep that camera up!