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Kids grow up way too fast, which is why we at Minted have curated our most helpful tips for photographing children. With everything moving so fast in your childs’ life, low quality and blurry images can become your regimen. While child photography is a precious and honorable responsibility, it is also a particularly difficult form of art. From Birth announcements to graduation, parents must be patient and prepared to capture snapshots of their childs’ life. Portraits of your children shouldn’t be just a generic pose and forced smile, they should capture the energy, spirit, and personality that makes your child special.
As you probably already know, kids are extremely unpredictable. It is important to remember to kick perfectionism and stress out the door during the photoshoot. Photoshoots tend to have a more successful outcome when the children are acting as their natural selves and the tensions are kept at a low. It is also never a bad idea to make things a little playful! Kids love to play, and incorporating this during the photo shoot will help with their engagement and mood.
Birthday Balloons by Hooray Creative
Another great distraction from the camera is engaging in conversation with the model. Kids have the most unique and colorful minds, and even just a short conversation can open the doors to an enormous smile.
A more general photography rule, make sure to hit all of the angles. This is super important specifically when photographing kids because they tend to move around a lot. Trying out different angles and camera height is a great way to expand your chances of capturing the perfect images. Dropping down to the height of the child, while it may be hard on the back, is a really important rule to child photography. Shooting from angles above works well, but shooting closer to the height of your child gives more of a realistic snapshot of your childs’ size.
Without expensive lighting equipment, it can be a challenge to find a great time and place to shoot. We recommend to shoot early in the mornings, or later in the afternoon. Shooting in these time slots will give you a better chance of taking the perfect photo of your child.
For the kids that hate being photographed (there are a lot) our advice is to be speedy and sneaky with your camera. Timing is everything. When you may least expect it, your child could be in the perfect pose for their photos. Kids tend to act more like themselves when they do not think they’re being watched or recorded by others.
Location and background should be prioritized. They can also easily be planned to make the shoot less stressful. Depending on what theme your shoot is leaning towards, it is never a bad call to scout possible options before hand.
If a child is not comfortable, they will not be themselves or portray their personality accurately in photos. It is important to let kids be themselves and feel at home. You can do this by bringing along family members with whom they are close with and keeping them entertained. Surprising them with their favorite toy or a new toy can elicit different joyous reactions! Letting them wear their favorite outfit may also take you far in making the child comfortable.
Another tip for photographing children is to avoid a pose. A natural photo of your child being themselves will go a lot farther than a posed photo with a fake smile. With siblings in particular, it is ideal to capture the powerful and loving bond between them.
Kids are the most precious and fun people to be around. A successful shoot will always require having an amazing time! If you are having fun, the odds of the people being photographed having a good time are much larger.
Taking a birth announcement photo or newborn photo of your child may not be the first thing on the agenda once they’re born, however it is a wonderful way to record your child's first days and share your happiness with the people you love.
At Minted, we recommend looking at the card styles and fonts, to see whether you want your child to be photographed with loud, neon colors or soft, warm tones. Browsing through prospective birth announcement cards beforehand will allow you to be more prepared to capture the perfect snapshot of your child.
Newborns and young babies go through many moods throughout the day. One minute they can be joyfully cooing and the next they could be crying. Plus there will be a lot of sleeping! Play around with taking photos both when they are awake and asleep so you have some different options and lighting and outfits to choose from.
When photographing newborns, posing options are extremely limited. But like most child photoshoots, you do not want you child to give off that they’re being forced into a pose. Capture your child in their natural habitat! Whether they are sleeping or laughing, an honest reaction from your child will go a lot farther than a posed one.
This is a tough one for parents. We all love to pride ourselves on our childrens’ beautiful eyes. When it comes to birth announcements, however, it is absolutely okay for newborns eyes to be shut. This brings a more natural look to the photo.
Like all photoshoots, good lighting is important. For photographing a newborn, you will need a warmly lit room. Your child will need to remain comfortable and warm throughout the day to remain in good spirits. Ignore having them cry in the middle of a shoot by keeping them warm and cuddled. You can never go wrong with natural light. Shooting early in the morning or later in the afternoon tend to get the best results.
It is never a bad idea to bring an extra set of hands. This is especially important with newborns. There should be someone to help you at all times when you are dealing with a child this young. You don’t want to have to carry both the camera and the baby if something were to happen.
The first year of your baby’s life has gone by in what felt like seconds to you. Photographing your child every step of their journey is a perfect way to capture and lengthen their youthful energy. Kid’s change and grow so quickly that even just capturing their milestones through a lens, will make life less fast paced.
While clothing may not seem like a big deal when it comes to baby pictures, it is actually really significant. Once your shoot is over, you will never be able to go back and change your baby’s shirt because it had a stain on it. When picking clothes, you want to focus on the colors that compliment your childs’ complexion. It is never a bad idea to choose colors that make your baby’s eyes pop. Also, we recommend to pick the most simple articles of clothing. Trends come and go constantly, so you don’t want to look back on photos and think to your self: “Why would I dress him in that?” Plain t-shirts or crew neck sweaters with no graphic prints are examples of this.
Especially for first birthday shoots, decorating your childs’ high chair has become an aesthetically pleasing and efficient way to shoot your child. Sitting the baby on a chair allows them to be more still which makes them much easier to photograph. Also, decorating the high chair can be a fun family activity to prepare for the shoot.
Like all child photoshoots, you need to be quick and clever with the camera. One-year-olds are especially difficult because they’re at an age where they can smile, move around, and open eyes, but they are also at an age where they can cry, scream, and make things very difficult for the photographer.
At the age of one, your posing options are pretty limited, but we collected an assortment of ideas to expand your options and to make things a little easier. It is important to not push your baby to do anything they may not want to do or not be able to do. We recommend to have you child seated for most of the shoot. To change shots up however, have them carry and pose with different objects. Ideas for these can range from posing with a photo of their own sonogram or birth announcement, with their first birthday cake. Another popular option is physically buying letters that spell out the word “One” and you can have your child pose with each letter individually. Using these, you can capture silly images like with them putting their heads through the letter “O” or trying to eat the letter “E.”
Props can help entertain your child, while at the same time be a perfect visual for the photoshoot. From favorite stuffed animals, to birthday balloons, props will give you more options for photos and keep your baby concentrated on something else.
This is one of the most important tips we are providing. It is so crucial to bring snacks! A hungry baby is not a happy baby. Shoot days can be long and tiring for both the photographers and the children, so only good can come from bringing snacks.
This is the best task of them all. Getting your baby to smile is a very important factor to photographing them. Most of the time, this won’t be too difficult, however, if your baby woke up on the wrong side of the crib the day of the photoshoot, we are here to make things run smoothly. Using sounds to grab their attention and make them giggle is a great trick. Try to pop your lips and click your teeth and tongue. Also, do not be afraid to get super silly. Wiggling anything on your face or body from your fingers to your nose can make them smile. A competitive game of peekaboo is never a bad idea either!
It is a first birthday shoot! No need to get tense or stressed because things are different than what you had in mind. Perfectionism will only make things worse when photographing kids. Simply take a deep breath, and appreciate the precious child in front of you, and how lucky you are to have such a bright light in your life!
Just like the first birthday photoshoot, photographing your kids’ on other birthdays is just as important. While it may not be as big of a milestone, it is important to keep records and memories of your childs’ development every year. They grow so fast, so why not take snapshots along the way! Use our photography tips for kids to get the perfect picture for your child’s special day.
A great location is always important, and now that your child is old enough, you have a much wider range of options in locations. When a child turns two, they begin to converse more and walk more confidently. This means you can finally shoot your child standing up and walking either indoor or outdoor.
Indoor setting options: Using an indoor setting is the quicker and easier option of the two. Shooting your child indoors wipes all the concerns about your child getting too cold, too hot, or uncomfortable during the shoot. However, lighting and backgrounds are a lot more limited. Natural light is harder to find inside versus outside, so you will have to either shoot in a strongly lit room or shoot at the brightest times of the day. If you are trying to find more simple and plain background that your child will pop in, indoor settings are the perfect match. Plain walls are a great option for a more simple and modern look.
Outdoor setting options: Opting to take the photoshoot outside is also a perfect decision. You cannot go wrong with nature as your background. Also, you won’t need any extra lighting. We recommend driving to the nearest flower patch, green field, or body of water to really capture the perfect backdrop. Make sure to schedule this trip at a time where the weather won’t interrupt any of the natural beauty or your child's mood.
Since your child is now talking and communicating, let them decide what they want to wear! It doesn’t matter if it is silly, that is what makes it fun! This is your childs’ photoshoot, not yours, so make it more about them! Let them put their own personality into the project. This will also allow them to be happier and easier throughout the rest of the photoshoot process.
Now that your child has grown into their own, allow them to input some of their creative ideas. Children have the brightest and most abstract minds. Use their mind to your advantage and allow them to co direct their shoot. This will also lead to bigger smiles and longer attention spans.
Props are always important when it comes to birthday shoots. You never really can tell if it is a birthday photo unless you have something celebratory in the image. Hats, Crowns, Cake, Candles, and Balloons are all easy ways to make it obvious that it is your childs’ birthday.
With all of the birthday excitement, natural posing is the best you can do with kids on their big days. To make things easier for you, we suggest you place them somewhere that makes it easier to photograph them. This can be with or without friends, however, we suggest to capture your child giggling with their BFF’s by their side. Having your child hang on a jungle gym, go down a slide, play in their dollhouse, or doing anything that they love, is a perfect way to pose them for birthdays cards.
Now that your child has taken over some of the creative directing, it is a lot easier to let loose and have fun throughout the shoot! Happiness and laughter is the fastest link to successful child photography.
Holiday cards can spread the holiday spirit to the people that surround you and love you. Throughout the year, it is hard to keep people constantly updated on your life with work, and parenting. With holiday cards, however, keeping in contact with friends and family is easy! Now, using our photography tips for kids, you can also make photographing your family for the cards just as easy as sending around holiday spirit! Also be sure to read through our Christmas checklist to understand when you should plan to take your holiday photos, when to order them, and when to send them. Make sure you stay on schedule!
To spread the holiday spirit, you first need to have holiday spirit. Take a look through some popular Christmas activities for children that will put a smile on their face and get them excited for Santa. With school, work, and extracurriculars, it can be complicated to make family time and give thanks for everything you have been blessed with. But sending holiday cards is a perfect reminder to give thanks for everything you have.
An easy way to make your invitation more aesthetically pleasing is to dress in holiday themed-clothing. Dress in whichever holiday you and your family celebrate, and make your photo that much more spirited.
Check out our complete guide to Holiday Outfit dressing for more ideas.
Lastly, you can pose with your family in front of holiday-themed backgrounds. This can range from red or white walls to snowy mountains. Backgrounds are a simple way to make your card a little extra spirited!
As parents we are both excited for this day (they’ve learned and accomplished so much!) as well as hope this day never comes (how did they grow up to fast?), we know you’ll want to celebrate this momentous achievement. Graduation photos capture our pride and joy of our childs’ huge milestone. These photos take a short but important moment in someone’s life, and make it last forever. Using our photography tips for kids, feel prepared and proud for your child’s special day.
For graduation shoots, it is always a great idea to bring a long a cap and gown. A cap and gown are the perfect symbolization of how hard your child has worked throughout the years. They also demonstrate that your child is graduating very clearly.
Simple Cap by Paula Pecevich
Once you have taken all of the images with your child from afar, getting their dipola, and throwing their caps in the air, it is crucial to capture portraits. Portraits are extremely useful in the real world. You need photos like these to apply to certain jobs, and they’re the perfect image to paste onto your graduation invitations!
Photos are a great way to capture memories and milestones, but they’re also sometimes a distraction. Earmark perhaps some specific times that you’ll take out your camera, like in the first or last 15 minutes of a Graduation event. Spending quality time celebrating your child is way more important than spending the entire day stressing out about photos.
With iPhones and smartphones all around, parents have many many photographs already in the palms of their hands. Hopefully the Minted photography tips for kids will help with ideas, and tricks, in order to capture those extra special moments in the best possible way.
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