Taking pictures of your child can be challenging, though it does not have to be. While your child might want to have their picture taken – after all, it is a great way to document their life – you may not get the real them in the photo.
For instance, your child might smile directly into the lens of the camera while having a stiff pose, which does not show who they are due to not acting naturally.
One sudden pose can create a wonderful photograph on its own, but if you are attempting to get various photos of your child, then you will not always want the same thing.
If you are looking to try capturing your child’s personality through photos, then you have come to the right place. Here we shall give you tips and tricks on taking wonderful photos of your children to document their life.
Why Capture Your Child’s Personality In Photographs?
There are many reasons why you should capture your child’s personality through photos. Not only does it often make a photograph more interesting, but they are great memories to keep also.
It is always nice to have photographs of your children smiling toward the camera, but it often results in stiffer poses. This is because, whenever anybody has a camera pointed at them, all of a sudden they resort to a familiar pose or freeze altogether.
When it comes to your children, capturing their personalities can be a challenge, but it really does not have to be. Rather than telling them to just be natural, there are better ways to capture great photographs of your children acting naturally.
Oh, and before we start, just remember that you are not after the ‘perfect shot’. Sometimes the best pictures are the ones you caught in the moment. So, let’s get to it!
Regular Routines
More often than not, some of the best pictures of your children are taken during their regular routines. This can show what they do during their day-to-day but also capture some very natural moments.
For example, if your child is watching television but has fallen asleep with the dog, or is lazily watching their favorite TV show, then you can capture them in a completely different way.
Rather than it being about them looking at the camera or being full of beans, instead, it shows them during a regular routine that they enjoy. You can also capture them playing their favorite game console too.
Because your child may be concentrating or enjoying whatever process they are involved in, you will be able to capture some great shots.
Make Your Child Laugh
If you are looking for a way to take a picture of your child without them giving you a big cheesy grin, another way is to make them laugh. Fortunately, kids are easy to make smile.
All you need to do is make a funny noise or say something that will make them giggle.
During this moment you should snap away. This is one of the best ways to capture very natural photos without having to ask them to just be natural around the camera.
More often than not, your child will tighten up and smile at you, rather than carry on doing whatever they were doing. So laughter is a wonderful way to capture your child’s personality and happiness.
Playing With The Dog
When your child is preoccupied with the family pet, it can make for some great pictures. The dog is a great example because your child can play with the dog in the backyard.
On a sunny day, whether in the morning or during the golden hour later in the evening when the sun is setting, you will want to make sure that the lighting is on point.
This allows for some wonderful portraits of your child playing tug of war with the dog, or throwing a ball.
Just remember to include the dog in the shots too, though you can also do some portraits of your child happy and smiling.
Watching Them Play
If you do not have a dog, you can also take pictures of your child while they are playing in the backyard. This can create some unique photos of your child (or children) having fun and looking very happy.
All you will want to do for these photographs is to relax outside and take a few snaps of them being themselves. Try to not make the camera a focal point. While you may want to shout at them for a photo, try to resist.
The whole point of this one is to take pictures of your children without any unnatural poses. You will find that you have taken some brilliant photos that you can frame.
Attention During Action
If you do want to grab their attention during the fun activities, then there is a way to approach this. It can make a really good photo when something is happening and you get a person looking over at the lens of your camera.
However, you will want to have your finger on the shutter ready to take a picture – fast.
This is because while your child is busy playing – perhaps they are in the middle of climbing with their siblings – shout their name and take a picture as soon as they look around at you.
Do remember to make sure that whatever they are doing will not become dangerous if they take their eye off their own focus. If everything seems to be okay, then have the child look at you, even if only for a second.
Change The Angles
Most of the time, a photograph will be taken from a particular distance head-on, and that is that. To create some interesting and fun photos of your children, change up the angle.
You will find that you become more creative with how the photographs look.
For example, taking pictures from up above can bring out their quirkiness. You might even get a goofy smile or some funny pose as they reach for you.
You might also notice that the lens causes some distortion. This can create some wonderfully creative shots. It is all about practice, so experiment and see what works best.
It does not have to be about using the correct lens either. You might find that using a 35mm lens close-up creates some interesting distortions.
You may even find that your children also want to have some fun when they see you being silly trying to get a good photo!
Utilize Their Interests
If it is an older child that you want to photograph, then a good way of doing this is by documenting their different interests.
For example, if your child enjoys playing a musical instrument, then take a few photos while they practice. You can do the same if your child is painting, or enjoying some craftwork.
Try to take pictures of them within their own element, rather than posing for the camera. You will see the difference when it comes to posing and when the image is completely natural.
Capturing photos this way of older children allows them to feel comfortable, and they are less likely to tell you to go away.
They might even be really happy with the images you have taken, and they can use them for something like their social media, or to keep.
Perfection Isn’t The End Result
When taking pictures of your child, just remember that the best thing about the photographs (and the subject) is that it is not perfect. Some of the best photos ever taken are candid in style.
Not just that, they often involve very natural things like messy hair, food around the mouth, or a homemade crown.
To really capture the natural beauty of your children, you will want to photograph what you see. That means not using a wet wipe to remove the chocolate that surrounds their lips, or getting them changed into something smarter.
You will find that even if your child is grumpy, it makes for a great photo. Being perfect and posing is not the way to capture your child’s personality. Let them be who they are, and you will take some amazing photographs to treasure forever.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many ways to capture your child’s personality through photos. In following some of the steps above, you will find that your creativity is inspired and that you can take some brilliant photographs of your children.
You do not need to ask your child to look directly at the camera. Instead, you can use certain opportunities throughout the day to take photographs.
For example, when your child is playing with the dog in the backyard, or they are spending time with their sibling.
Hopefully, you have picked up some great tips when it comes to capturing your child’s personality through photos.
Hey everyone, and welcome to LemonadeAndLenses.com. My name is Laura and I am the founder of this site!
For as long as I can remember, I have loved taking photographs. There is nothing I love more than looking back through old pictures, and having all of the memories come flooding back.
If you want to learn about how to take professional images, and to run your own photography business, then I can help you out, here at Lemonade And Lenses.
