How to Help Your Child Take Better Photos During a Family Photoshoot

Capturing children at different stages of their life is one of the most important things to parents but also can be one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish. Today you will read 5 ways to take better photos of your children and make your job easier when it comes to family pictures. Read up and get ready to book your next family photoshoot.

1. Don't Take a Child to a Photoshoot Hungry or Tired

I think most parents know that if their child is tired or hungry they are automatically a lot more irritable. Getting everyone ready for family pictures can be stressful but make sure to add to your list to eat before or bring snacks for the photoshoot for the children to snack on. This will ensure that kids are full and ready to go for pictures.

2. Let Kids Be Kids

If a child is expected to sit still, smile and behave perfectly for an hour or more.... you are asking for a meltdown. Allow children to get wiggles out while shooting. You will be shocked at the result. Fun, candid, full of personality pictures of your kids. Don't hesitate to get in the frame and play with them. BONUS TIP: make sure if you are taking the picture to have a fast shutter speed to capture all the movement without any blur.

3. Don't Be Afraid to Be Silly Yourself

There is no doubt that parents are the secret to get the best smiles and giggles from their kids. Some of the best photos of children means the parents are behind the camera making a fool out of themselves. Don't hesitate to be your silly self to keep the mood light and your kids giggling. This will make all the difference in your pictures and it will create fun memories for your kids during your family photoshoot.

4. Don't Put too Much Pressure on the Smile

You have probably experienced the sometimes odd smile or mean grimace a child will give when asked to smile on demand. Avoid this by not putting too much pressure on making your kids smile. Capture the in between moments, their true smile. Also don't forget to capture the sweet moments where your child is relaxed and calm. When they relax a bit they will be able to smile more naturally for the camera.

5. TOYS AND PROPS

A special tip specifically for younger kids is to include toys or props for them to hold or play with during the photoshoot. The example below was a themed 1st birthday shoot. With the theme being baseball we embraced it and had balloons, a baseball hat+jersey, a bat and a baseball for the one year old to play with and have fun. The images turned out so fun and the toys made the photoshoot so smooth.