How to Photograph Babies and Young Children

Don't you just love trying to take those special pictures of your children? You get them all dressed up, comb their hair, set up your camera and lights, sit them down and pose them while they give you a sweet, angelic smile. Yeah, right! More likely your kids run around screaming while you lick your fingers to try to get their hair to stick right, all the while you are getting a pounding headache from all the fuss. When you finally do get that shot, IF you can get them to hold still long enough, it's full of tears.

You don't have to own a big, expensive camera or perfectly pose your children to take great pictures of them. In fact, taking those candid shots of kids being kids generally comes out much better than trying to sit them down and pose them. You capture the personality, both the good and the bad, and create great memories when you just let them do their own thing naturally. Here are some tips to make your shots better.

1. Let kids be kids. Let them run, let them play. Don't try to pose them. If you want them to look in a particular direction, use some props. Toys, puppets, or bubbles (my personal favorite) will always do the trick for getting them to look at me.

2. Get down to their level. Look at the world through their eyes. When you snap a picture, bend down low and get even with them. If you have a baby laying on the floor, get right down there on the floor with them. It really captures what their world is all about. Different angles can really make your pictures interesting.

3. Use lots of light. Kids are forever in motion. If you have the option of using a faster shutter speed to help freeze motion, do it. Natural lighting always looks better then hard flash. Take them outside if you can. If you are inside, open up those windows and let in the light. It will help keep things in focus.

4. The more you shoot the better. If your camera has a continuous shooting mode, that is even better. Many times I have tried to get one particular shot only to find that by shooting many pictures I got better results with something different than what I was originally shooting for.

5. Use the rule of thirds rule. If you picture a tic-tac-toe image and mentally place that over your shot, using the rule of thirds would mean putting the main focus of your image on one of those lines. This technique can make an otherwise boring shot look really unique!

6. Watch your background. It's not always easy to watch your background when photographing young children. They move around so much that you really have to keep on top of them. Always keep what's in the background in the back of your mind. If there is something unsightly, try adjusting your position and moving a bit.

7. Get creative! Throw a towel over their head. Cut a hole in a box and have them look through it and get a picture of their eye. Have them pretend to be a monkey, puppy, or a monster. Let them hold a flower or a piece of grass. Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things.

8. Be patient. It really helps if you know the child. It can be very daunting for a little child to have some big grown up following them around with some object that keeps flashing bright lights at them! Get them involved. Let them touch your camera (not the lens). If they are old enough, let them take a picture of YOU. Spend some time getting to know them and playing with them first. Once they warm up to you it makes getting those shots much easier.

9. Don't forget the tears. You don't always have to capture that smiling, perfect angel. Photos are a great way to re-live memories…ALL of them. Get pictures of those pouty faces; they can make for some great memories.

10. Have fun! Taking pictures of kids is all about having a good time. If they are having fun with you, it will really come across in your pictures.

Taking pictures of children can be very rewarding and it's a wonderful feeling when you capture that perfect moment on camera. Follow these steps and you will be not only having a great time, but having some great pictures to share and remember as well.