Tips on Photographing Kids for a Professional-Looking Picture

Photographing kids is top priority for many parents. With just a few tips, you can get a professional shot on your own. Photographing kids can be easy and fun!

Photographing Kids: Comfort in front of a camera

The amount of reactions you can get when photographing kids is varied. Some kids will flash fake smiles while others will pout. Many times these shots are not what you are looking for. One aspect of photographing kids is making them feel comfortable in front of the camera so that you can catch natural emotions.

For those children who love to show off then let them ham it up in front of the camera. Ask them to show their best funny face or best tumble routine. Wear them out a bit before you settle down for the real shots.

Photographing kids that are shy or pouting can be difficult as well. Take some pictures from across the room until they feel more comfortable. You may find that your favorite picture is of your sulking child!

Let the child take a few shots with an extra camera and pretend to be the photographer, while you are the model then have him switch places with you. When photographing kids don't forget to be a kid yourself! Get down on their level, lie on the floor or roll around in the grass with them. You may even find that this causes some great giggling!

Photographing Kids: Props

Photographing kids means having something for them to do so make sure you have props. Having a toy or item for the child to play with helps them focus on the toy and take the focus off of the camera.

Set the child up with their favorite toy to play with, which can help bring out natural emotion and be great for memories years later.

When photographing kids, having a new prop or toy can be a big help because the item is new and may hold the child's interest longer. Long strips of tulle or ribbon are good for photographing kids, you could have the child run around the hard with the ribbon flowing behind. A kite could also be a fun prop and the pictures of the child trying to fly it could be sweet and humorous.

Have the child show you what their day is like and take pictures of them with their school books or skateboards.

Photographing Kids: Those buttons on your camera are there for a reason

Digital cameras can sometimes look intimidating, and many people keep the camera on automatic, but those buttons can help you take even better pictures

Use zoom when photographing kids. Focus not only on the child's face but on their toes and fingers as well!

For close ups of the child's face when photographing kids, use the portrait mode on your camera (this is the head silhouette option on your camera) or the sports mode (figure of a running person) when the child is playing sports or running in the backyard.

Photographing Kids: Flash

You may be thinking that you already use flash when you are inside but flash should be used outside as well, especially on bright sunny days. Sunny days lead to harsh shadows when photographing kids or any person or object. Using the flash can help fill in those shadows.

Red eye may also be a problem when photographing kids and using flash. This can sometimes be remedied by not photographing kids with them looking directly into the camera. Have them look off to the side and reduce the risk of red eye.

Photographing kids can be very rewarding and lots of fun. You may even find that you have a picture to hang on your wall that looks as if it was done by a professional.