As a mom and an expert child photographer in the Washington, DC region, both my work and my life has taught me valuable lessons about how to create timeless child portraits. Here is some of my child photography advice for taking better pictures of your kids:
1. Stop flashing!
Contrary to what you may believe, your camera’s flash is not your best friend. This blinding light can result in unflattering shadows, distorted skin tones, and Dracula-like red eyes. Instead of keeping the flash set to auto mode, fiddle around with your camera’s settings and disable the flash entirely. Then only flip it back on with intention for very specific occasions. For example, you might decide it’s necessary in a dimly lit room.
2. Adjust your shutter speed
Working with a fast lens (otherwise known as a wide aperture) and a fast shutter speed is essential for shooting child portraits without flash, whether you’re working indoors or outside. Speeding things up will allow you to blur out the background and minimize your photo’s depth of field, which will help draw attention to your subject matter.
3. The Simplest Child Photography Tip: Just Bend Your Knees!
Rather than staring down at your children and shooting from the heights, vary the angles by getting down on your kid’s level. It’s one of the easiest tips for improving your child photography skills— just bend your knees!
4. For Fast Movers, Play freeze!
One of the biggest challenges in child photography is getting kids to sit still long enough to snap a picture. Keep your kids engaged by turning the photo shoot into a game while simultaneously distracting them from your efforts to capture the moment. Try a little round of Simon Says or Freeze! to transform your family into modeling pros—without them even realizing it!
5. Forget about eye contact
Some of the best photos of children are those showing them exploring their environment, playing with friends, or falling fast asleep. To avoid making a portrait to feel posed, try to catch your kids off guard. There’s no need for them to look at the camera, nor for them to say “cheese.” Just let them be and allow the scene to unfold.
6. Take too many
I often find that moms and dads set sky-high expectations for their photography skills, thinking that each shot has to result in earth-shattering art. Even professionals take a lot more photos than they end up using. Why? Because we know that the more images we snap, the higher the probability of snapping up something magical. While one image may capture your kids with eyes closed and an odd smirk, the very next image reveals open eyes and a winning smile.
7. Turn on continuous shooting
Try out continuous shooting mode to capture all of your children’s fleeting expressions and lightning-fast movement. Download everything onto your computer to view the full sequence. Just delete the images that don’t work and keep only the cream of the crop.
Check out these articles for some more child photo tips:
If you’re interested in learning even more to perfect your child photography, sign up for my Snap Happy Workshop or arrange a private class with me for you and your friends! I’ll share even more tips for stepping up your family photography and capturing keepsake-quality portraits every day.
About the Photographer and Author:
Julie Kubal is a child and family portrait artist and photographer serving Washington DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. She is passionate about creating warm and meaningful artwork through modern portraits and lifestyle photography at a location of your choice!