Today well look at three common issues people face when trying to get photos of their children.
An incredibly common challenge for any parent or photographer.
And who can blame them, most of us dont like having our photos taken either!
But there are lots of options to help with this issue.
Try getting them talking!
This is probably your best chance of getting the looking into the camera smiling shot.
The more complicated the question the more likely they are to stop what theyre doing to think about it.
Its those thinking moments that you want to capture, before they start talking.
The most genuine expressions come while theyre thinking or realizing something.
Plus, then you dont end up with a shot mid-word.
Also, try getting them to tell you a story.
Children dont edit their expressions when storytelling, giving you lots to capture.
Storytelling will keep them animated and genuine but hopefully keep the movement to a manageable level.
You may need to enlist the help of someone else for this.
But someone new or who they dont see very often may bring a new element into the equation.
Thats a great opportunity to capture them at their most animated.
For toddlers you might try giving them an activity to do that keeps them in one place.
Again, itll keep them still and youll have the benefit of some great natural light!
Some of your favorite photos may be the ones you did not orchestrate!
The best advice I can give for this is to just let them do it!
With supervision of course.
You tend to see this in younger children, under age 5.
Theyre curious and they want to try everything youre doing.
So give in to their curiosity.
Then tell them that its their turn to try out some fun poses.
Hopefully youve enticed them enough to give it a go and youll get your camera back.
This can also be a great lesson in sharing!
Both of you’ve got the option to take turns being the model and the photographer.
Youll have some great shots of your child and, who knows, maybe some of yourself!
Getting children to give you a natural expression when you want to photograph them can be like pulling teeth.
Great for a laugh but not helpful for a photo you want to put on the mantle.
For the younger children a puppet or stuffed animal may work some magic.
you might also try funny dances or sounds, anything to get their attention and smile or laugh.
For older children, the puppet probably isnt going to cut it.
Youre going to need to work a little harder.
The tips from #1 above can come in handy here too.
But in this case your goal is to make them laugh.
Try some jokes or stories or better yet get them telling you jokes.
It is a fact that almost everyone is nerdy enough to laugh at their own jokes.
Ask children to tell you about the funniest thing thats ever happened to them.
And if all else fails, just imitate them.
Nothing is funnier than an adult imitating a child trying not to smile.
In the end photographing children is a challenge but its a fun challenge!
There are lots of ways to get creative and capture that perfect shot of your kids just being kids!
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Contributor
Emily Jewer is a Halifax based photographer.
Original content 2018 Super Simple.
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