Next on my list of tips to help you take better photos of your kids is something stealthy… something that will help you hone your ninja skills (or your parent skills, depending on how you look at it!)

Tip #4 for taking better pictures of your kids: Hide from them and watch from afar.

I’m sometimes lucky enough to catch my kids in a quiet moment (though “quiet” in our house is usually extremely suspicious!) 😉  If I’m lucky enough to witness a few moments of them reading quietly or playing together sweetly, I will just sit there and stare at them- trying to burn the sweet moment into my memory (and enjoy the precious moment while it lasts, because it’s usually not long!)  But of course photographs are the one sure way to capture that moment forever!

Stepping back (into another room or where you aren’t seen) can create beautiful and sweet images that make the viewer feel as if they’re there.  So does shooting wide (with a lens of about 35mm or less) to allow you to capture more of the scene and tell more of the story.

Having fun sneaking around with your camera and seeing what you find!

Time for another tip for taking better photos of your munchkins!  Previously, I talked about getting down on their level… shooting from a low angle to capture a different perspective- one that reflects how big they see the world!  Another way to get some interesting photos:

TIP #3 for better photos of your kids: Get up High!

Getting high and shooting down on a scene gives another interesting-yet entirely different- perspective to your photos.  I often forget this, yet when I have on a wider lens (something 50mm or less) I can see more in the frame and it reminds me to take a look at what’s happening from above.  Get on a chair, on your tiptoes- whatever you can (that you won’t fall from!)  For the first image below, I stood on a chair while my son (who was potty-training at the time, hence the bare bum!) played hide-n-seek in his box.  For the second image I simply stood tall and shot with a wider angle down at my little guy while he was swinging.  I wanted to remember how he fit in those swings and how his little legs dangled down!  The bottom image I shot while standing on a deck, while my daughter and her BFF caught some air on this swing.  It’s funny, because in a portrait, you’d never want to see the soles of a subject’s shoes- but I absolutely love it here!

I captured a few moments from this past Easter while our kids were dying eggs…  This was one of my first

shots…

I then realized I’d wanted to get the bigger picture (and all the mess, too!)  You might also find that shooting from above can sometimes bring more attention to tiny details that might otherwise be lost in a different composition. Standing on a chair, I was able to see more of those little details and less of a distracting, messy house!

I love how careful my little ones’ hands are as they handle the Easter eggs.  Shooting from above, all the details I’d love to remember from times like these stand out- the messy drips of egg dye, their little hands and fingers- it feels like I’m there!  🙂

Hope this tip is helpful and makes it fun to get out your camera!

It’s been (quite) a while since I started a little list of things to help you take better pictures of your kids… I though it was high time to add to that list!  Previously, I mentioned catching your kids doing something they love.  Another thing that helps create awesome photos of your kids is to:

TIP #2 for better photos of your kids: Get on their level!

It may seem simplistic, but getting down on your child’s 2, 3, or 4 foot vantage point completely changes what your camera “sees” and of course completely changes the feel of your picture!  We often have the habit of standing to take photos of our little ones, but bending down on one knee or even getting flat on the ground can make some awesome images.  Try to see what they’re seeing.  Look at things from their point of view.  It gives a whole different feeling to your photograph.

This past weekend was “Grandparents’ Day…and it got me thinking about that saying, “The only thing better than having you for a parent is my children having you for a Grandparent.”  This echoes my sentiments exactly!  I believe God blessed me with my awesome parents so they could be the even more awesome Grandma and Grandpa to our kids!  Our daughter, Lauren, especially LOVES all her Grandparents and I love getting to capture photos of our kids with them.  They’re some of my most favorite images.  Are you sure to get lots of photographs of your child’s grandparents, if they’re lucky enough to still have them?  You can never have too many.  I try to encourage clients who are booking a family session to bring along grandparents if they’re able to- that family wouldn’t be there without them, and they’re one of the most important part of the legacy that your children will inherit!

These are a couple of MY favorite photographs… Our daughter with her best buddy, Grandma (my mom). 🙂  She ADORES each of her grandparents, but there’s something special about seeing the bond between the two most important girls in my life!  What are some of YOUR favorite grandparent images?!

Welcome to my little piece of blog-dom, my little slice of internet-heaven, my piece of cyberspace…. you get it.  I’ve been thinking about what to write for my first official blog post after finishing my website, and I keep going back to the fact that I am- by training- a teacher! I would love to be able to share tips with you about what I’ve learned about improving my photography- especially when it comes to taking photographs of our kids.  Isn’t that why so many of us got our first digital SLR?  You know, cameras that actually look like cameras? When our daughter was born almost 6 years ago, I remember telling my husband that I was NOT going go let her childhood go by with nothing but crummy snapshots from a tiny little point-and-shoot camera!  Not that he ever needed convincing, I think I had to convince myself.  And not that point-and-shoots or camera phones are bad… on the contrary!  Who would ever have thought we’d be carrying around tiny cameras in our pockets?  Or that our phones, which also fit in our pockets, take photographs?!?  (Yes, I grew up with a rotary-dial phone. Then we upgraded to the kind with push-buttons… WHHAAAAT? Buttons???)  Anyway, if you’re like me, you may have gotten a dSLR with the hopes of finally getting your photographs to look like THAT (-insert breathtaking photo here-).  Thing is, even most affordable “fancy” cameras still want average joes to be able to press the shutter and get a picture!  So, I realized after a while that I would need to read, study, practice, read, study, and practice.  And guess what? I still read, study and practice every day!  The day we stop learning is the day we stop living…  Is that how that goes?

Ok, before I get too philosophical… Though I am no master, I’ve invested the most time in my education, and have gained so much just by being a diligent learner.  So, periodically, I plan to share some easy-to-implement and easy-to-practice tips to get you out of that frustrating “what’s-this-button-for?” stage and start improving your photos, whether you have a dSLR or your camera phone!  

So, I’m going to start with THE simplest of tips for taking better pictures of your kids:

TIP #1 for better photos of your kids: Watch them doing something they love.

Here, my son was immensely enjoying licking the chocolate frosting off the beater.  Nothing makes that kid happier than eating sugar.  Wait, make that sugar and butter.  I didn’t have to try to make him smile, it was there all along- just waiting to sneak out!  Whether they’re swinging, chasing the dog, coloring, riding their bike- you’re bound to see great things when they’re engaged in what they love!

There’s the first tip!  Though it may seem obvious, we often might forget the best times to take photos of our kids, and just try to get them to look our way and say, “cheese!”  So, hopefully, this will get you to think a little more about those great opportunities for photos.

And of course, on this blog, I plan to share images from my sessions! I truly LOVE being able to create photographs for people.  I love that *GASP* moment when I see something beautiful happen through my lens- when I see a smile or laugh or something that I KNOW is precious to that family.  I love knowing I can create the opportunity to turn that moment into an image that will exist forever!  It’s pretty cool.

Thanks for reading!