Cupshe

6 Tips on How to Take Awesome Photos of Your Kids

I can’t believe that my son is already 2 months old!  It seems like it was just yesterday that I was trying every yoga pose imaginable to try to induce labor!  Now that he is here I have discovered 1. That every kid is TRULY different and it’s almost as if I am a first time mother again because clearly I forgot everything and 2. it’s true what they say about boys and their mothers.  All of it.  I am obsessed with him and I am already sad that he his going to leave me one day for another girl. Like, I literally am getting teary-eyed just typing that…anyway.  In an effort to force time to stand still Cameron did a formal photo shoot with our kids and I loved the fact that it was super chill, done at our home, no fuss, and it still turned out beautifully.  For those who don’t know, my husband Cameron is a professional photographer in both fashion and lifestyle photography. I asked Cameron to give me a few takeaways on how to take awesome photos of your kids so that you too can capture those fleeting moments.  The best part, you don’t have to be a professional!

6 Tips on How to Take Awesome Photos of Your Kids

1. Use Natural Light

6 Tips on How to Take Awesome Photos of Your Kids

When taking pictures in general, natural light is your BFF.  For this shoot with our kids Cameron turned off all the lights in the room and opened the blinds.  That’s it!  That’s all that it took for these photos to be beautifully lit.  Whenever he is taking photos inside, he always scouts the location to find out where all of the windows are and that’s where he will set up.  Mother nature is the best advocate when it comes to a well lit photo.

2. Use Clean Backgrounds

6 Tips on How to Take Awesome Photos of Your Kids

6 Tips on How to Take Awesome Photos of Your Kids

For Hendrix I wanted the background to be something soft that he could lay on comfortably.  His room is a space theme so this three star rug was the perfect thing for these pictures and his room.  Best part about this Lorena Canals rug is that it’s washable and can be thrown in the washing machine!  With small children, this is a god-send because messes happen in the blink of an eye!  The great thing about finding a clean background for photos of your kids is that you don’t have to go very far to find them at your house.  Rugs, bed spreads, towels, or even a plain white duvet are great backdrops for photos of your sweethearts.

3. When In Doubt Take Them Out

6 Tips on How to Take Awesome Photos of Your Kids

If you don’t have any good sources of natural light at your house, taking the kids outside if possible is a great idea.  Because kids are ALWAYS moving, it is important that you have enough light to freeze their movements.  The more light the better, and being outside allows you to have all of it!  If you take photos and notice that all of your inside photos of the kids are always blurry, chances are you need more natural light.

4. Check Your Shutter Speed

6 Tips on How to Take Awesome Photos of Your Kids

Again.  Kids are always in motion!  In order to not have blurry photos make sure you do not go below 1/125 shutter speed.  Anything below that will blur their movements.

5. Keep Snapping

6 Tips on How to Take Awesome Photos of Your Kids

6 Tips on How to Take Awesome Photos of Your Kids

Like with these photos I took of Cameron and Hendrix (mainly because Cameron is always the one behind the camera we forget that he needs to be in some of them too!) I just kept snapping and hoped for the best, haha!  For me, Cameron usually sets all of the camera settings which then sets me up for taking a clean, in focus photo.  My responsibility then is to just keep clicking as the subject moves and poses.  Easy enough, right?  You will be so surprised at how many of the photos look great and natural.  Don’t get me wrong there will be several photos of you or your kids mid-blink, but the amount of quality ones will definitely out weigh the bloopers.

6. Use Toys As A Distraction

6 Tips on How to Take Awesome Photos of Your Kids

This is especially true when  dealing with children under 2 years old.  Utilizing their favorite toy or a stuffed animal to distract them or elicit a smile can mean the difference from capturing smiles and scowls or worse non-stop crying. This goes hand-in-hand with number 5  because once you show them the toy be prepared to snap like crazy, you never know when the money shot will happen!

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