Aren't kids just the cutest? I love kids. It's been the joy of my life to be able to work with kids of all ages. And even more so to see them with the ones they love and be part of epic photoshoots that document them in this moment in time.
As a portrait photographer with over a decade of experience, here's my 3 easy peasy lemon squeezy tips to getting great photos of kids. And this advice can be used by photographers or family members anytime and I will guarantee results.
#1. Eat, Sleep, Cuddle
This has nothing to do with photography. YET! But the key to great photos of kids lie in the foundation the hours before the shoot. A child is way more likely to want to let their guard down and be part of the photo process if they've been fed, they have had a good nap and have gotten a lot of cuddles and connection from their loved ones.
Not a pro tip, but rather a recommendation is to schedule the shoot in the evening so that you can get your child a good lunch, a great nap, a top up snack and some connecting before you are ready to click away.
#2. Talk to them about what is going to happen
I don't think it's just children, people in general love a heads-up about what to expect in different situations. It helps keeps our nervous system regulated and also be able to show up in a more authentic way. Kids are the same. Describe to them the location, who will be there, what is going to happen, what is expected of them - the more details the better.
Remember when describing it to keep the energy and excitement going as well. Don't add to any fears the child might have, instead probably describe boundaries in a loving way vs a fear based way. For eg instead of saying "the sea is very dangerous, you can drown so don't leave my hand and listen to me", rather say "When we are in the water, Mama will decide how deep you can go. When I say enough, I would like you to hear me. Ok sweetheart? Yay we are going to have such a great time."
#3. Invite the child to be their authentic self
A vast majority of kids don't operate with the same decorum, discipline and propriety as adults. You can either have a child who's poised and get all the picture perfect shots or you can have your child in their own element. Being themselves. I recommend the latter. Looking back on photographs allows you to really then see the reality of who your child was.
Now this is a pro tip. The things I tell kids at shoots really allows them to show up as they would like. I will do a more elaborate post about this soon, but phrases like "Your only job is to make everyone crazy", "Everyone else will smile but you have to make a funny face", "No laughing". Somehow giving kids the exact opposite direction usually leads to the laughing, grinning organically but truthfully joyous photos that you anyway wanted.
I hope you liked the tips and I hope that you are able to get some really epic photos of your kids. Do drop a comment if you have more advice and I can't wait to hear back on the photos you get with your kids.
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