p h o t o g r a p h i n g

YOUR KIDS
Tips for taking better photographs of your kids and family!

Here to Help You

Work Smarter,
Not Harder!
Photographing your Kids 1
 “ If I could tell the
story in words,
I wouldn't need
to lug around a
camera.
—Ansel Adams

Photographing your Kids 2

 Table of
Contents
5
Why Photograph
Your Family

7
Tell the
Everyday Stories

11
Photograph
the Love

13
Keeping the
Peace

16
Easy Light

19
What Gear
Do I Need
Photographing your Kids 3
Photographing your Kids 4
 Why Photograph
Your Family?
First, and foremost, I am a mom. I love
photography and I love photographing
others. But my most important role is
mom.
That means that I have a beautiful
family around me that is mine. Right
now, I see them everyday. We eat to-
gether, play together, and sometimes
we fight.
But as much as I sometimes want to
wish away the hard days, I know these
days are fleeting. I look at my teenage
daughter each morning and know that
her time in my home is numbered. My
heart breaks a little at the thought.
So, I want to remember today. I want to
tell beautiful stories about my family. I
want to always remember the feelings
and beauty of our time together. And I
want my heart to be able to fully con-
nect with the photos I see of my kids
and family 10 years from now.
When all is said and done, I want to
capture the moments around me now
and I want to tell the stories happening
around me every day! I want this just
as much as I want the beautiful por-
Photographing your Kids
trait hanging on my wall!
And I want to share with you how I do
that everyday.
Right now.
And while I 100% feel that my knowl-
edge of photography and my camera
help me out tremendously, I believe
that anyone can do this no matter
how much they know or how ad-
vanced their photography skills are!
Your family might be at a different
stage than mine, but that doesn’t
mean that your story is any less im-
portant. Time is of the essence no
matter your stage in life.
Today is the day to start photograph-
ing your family. Not just the posed
shots of your kids that showcase
them perfectly coiffed in a gorgeous
setting.
Your “real” life is beautiful, too. And it
is important to remember these ev-
eryday moments happening around
us each day.
If you can relate to any part of these
thoughts—read on. This is for you!
5
 “ A good snapshot
stops a moment
from running
away.
—Eudora Welty

Photographing your Kids 6

Tell the Everyday Stories
IF YOU REALLY BOIL DOWN THE PUR-
POSE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY THE AN-
SWER YOU’LL END UP WITH IS THAT
IT IS MEANT TO TELL AND VISUALLY
DOCUMENT A STORY.
Everyone’s story is different. AND ev-
eryone’s story is told each day of their
life–not just on those “milestone” days. It is
really easy to forget this—especially as we
get busy with our lives!
But don’t forget to tell the everyday stories.
They are compelling and important. They
are also the things that we seem to forget
the fastest. How often have you chat-
Photographing your Kids
ted with your parents and realized that
something that was momentous to you
at the time, they have totally forgotten?
Maybe you have even had these types of
conversations with your kids.
Often times, what is memorable to one
person is just the boring everyday to an-
other. By capturing the everyday stories
along with the occasions that we “think”
are important, we are telling much more
of the full story than we have ever done.
We’ll remember more of these moments if
their visual proof is in front of our faces
on a regular basis!
7
 How to Tell the
Everyday Stories
The stories we read in books have settings,
characters and details. The stories you tell
about your family will have the same. As
you are trying to photograph your family
and tell your family’s story, look for each
of these things in your story and photo-
graph them!

THE SETTING IS WHEREVER YOU ARE OR

WHEREVER THE STORY YOU ARE TELL-
ING TAKES PLACE.

The setting might be your child’s bedroom

or your grandmother’s home. It is the
place where the story happens.

Different stories will happen in different

settings. When photographing your fami-
ly, make sure to capture one or two photos
that show the subjects in the whole set-
ting.
For instance, if your children are giggling
while playing in the living room, grab a
wide-angle shot that shows not only them
laughing, but the whole room they are in—
the setting.
THE CHARACTERS SHOULD BE OBVIOUS.
They are the people that you are photo-
graphing! There may be just one charac-
ter or many—it will depend on your family
and the story you are telling.
Have fun photographing the characters as
they are interacting. This tells the story of
their relationship to one another as well as
what is going on in the story.
THE DETAILS ARE THE LITTLE PIECES THAT
YOU ONLY SEE WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING
CLOSELY.
But they are a HUGE part of telling the story
because they are the things you’ll forget the
fastest if you don’t capture them!
AN EXAMPLE
Here is an example of an everyday story
that I captured. The day I captured this

Photographing your Kids 8

story, our library books were due. (Thanks
to the library’s friendly e-mail reminders,
I am finally returning my books on time!!
My fines probably paid for the e-mail sys-
tem, but that is a whole different story!)
The books were in a stack and we had to
read them ONE LAST TIME before it was
time to take them back! We read the
books together and, as my son was flip-
ping through them again, I captured him
laying on the floor of his room looking at
the book. I captured his hand pointing to
pictures and following words as he “pre-
Photographing your Kids
tends” to read. I captured him holding the
book up to his face as he attempted to
show me his favorite from the stack! And
I took many other shots (of course)!
I am sure that little stories like this happen
at your house EVERYDAY. This certain-
ly wasn’t a momentous occasion. I do
hope that he will remember that he liked
to read books and that we checked out
every truck book the library had. Multiple
times!
WHAT ARE THE STORIES AROUND YOU THAT YOU
NEED TO CAPTURE TODAY? HOW CAN YOU TELL
THE STORY USING PHOTOGRAPHS?
9
Photographing your Kids 10
Photograph the Love
(and for the love!)
RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE ABSOLUTE
BEST PART OF BEING A FAMILY. NO
TWO RELATIONSHIPS ARE ALIKE. AND
THESE RELATIONSHIPS WILL CONTIN-
UALLY CHANGE OVER THE COURSE OF
OUR LIFETIMES.
Taking the time to photograph these pre-
cious family dynamics will help to freeze
your family memories in time create pho-
tos that you cherish long after your kids
are grown.
TOGETHERNESS MOMENTS
PARENTS IN THE PICTURE
Make sure you don’t neglect to show the
relationships parents have with their
children. I love looking for and photo-
graphing my children with my husband.
Photographing me with my children is
a little more difficult, but I have children
that are often willing (or eager) to get on
the other side of the camera and capture
me once in a while. I have also had other
photographers photograph me with my
children.

All you have to do is look around for times

when your kids are playing nicely togeth-
er. Maybe your kids are interacting while
playing a game, or maybe they are lay-
ing side-by-side on the bed watching TV.
When you see moments like these cherish
them and then grab the camera.

Sometimes you can even create moments

like these while photographing. For in-
stance, ask your kids to cuddle or tickle
one another on your bed and photograph
them while they are doing it. Or ask your
kids if they’d like to build a fort and then
photograph them while they are playing
in it. Although these moments may seem
“staged”, as long as you are not taking
over the play, they are real moments.

Photographing your Kids 11

 “ To me, photography
is an art of observa-
tion. It's about find-
ing something inter-
esting in an ordinary
place.... I've found it
has little to do with
the things you see
and everything to do
with the way you see
them.
—Elliott Erwitt

Photographing your Kids 12

 Keeping the Peace
UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN PHOTO-
GRAPHING OUR OWN FAMILIES, SOME-
TIMES WE GET FRUSTRATED AND MAD.
THIS SECTION IS MEANT TO HELP YOU
DITCH THE FRUSTRATION AND EM-
BRACE YOUR INNER “HAPPY PHOTOG-
RAPHER!”
As a mom and a photographer, I know
the scene quite well. It starts with you
wanting a few photos of your kids. You’ve
chosen the spot and you’ve picked out the
clothes. But somehow, before you’ve even
snapped one shot, someone is crying and
Photographing your Kids
your dreams of capturing what you envi-
sioned in your head just vanished.
I’ve been there and I have reformed (for
the most part.) The following tips should
help you and your family find your hap-
py place.
PHOTOGRAPH THEM IN THEIR
ELEMENT OR ON THEIR TERMS
You’ll get better photos if you allow them
to be in their element and photograph
around what they are doing instead of
the other way around. This technique is
13
 more formal portraits of your kids, ar-
range a win-win. Maybe they agree that
you can photograph them and then you
take them out for ice cream. Or maybe
they can pick out the outfit and you get
to choose the location (or vice-versa.) A
mutually agreed upon win-win has a
much better chance of working out hap-
py.

THERE WILL BE OTHER CHANCES

While this exact moment will not happen

again, this won’t be your only opportu-
nity to photograph your family. You are
going to be living with them for many
more days and years.

If photographing them right now just

isn’t working keep this in mind and, in-
stead of forcing something now, look for
your next opportunity.
also much better for storytelling because
the story is authentic and real. CREATIVE WAYS TO GET A SMILE

Photographing around your subjects will Since asking your child to say “CHEESE”

also avoid the dreaded “forced smile” or or begging for smiles rarely gives good

“half smile” that comes when kids are results, look for fun ways to get them to

interrupted and appeasing you in hopes give you their natural smile.

that you’ll go away in a minute and let As a parent, you know what your child
them get back to what they were doing. will most respond to, so play to that

If you calmly photograph what is going strength. If they love silly jokes, find new

on around you without pausing interrupt ones and share them while you are pho-

the scene to ask everyone to look up and tographing. If they love Lego’s, ask them

smile, you’ll come away with much more what their face looks like when you take

authentic emotions and you’ll be a happi- them down the Lego aisle at the store.

er photographer, A genuine smile is a gift you get only

Also, if you are looking to photograph when you are positive and patient!

Photographing your Kids 14

Photographing your Kids 15
 Easy Light
GOOD LIGHT MAKES A HUGE DIFFER- WINDOW LIGHT
ENCE WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING OUR
Window light is luscious and incredibly
FAMILIES. FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO
useful when you are trying to get nice in-
FIND GOOD LIGHT IN AND AROUND
door shots. It can be soft and diffused or
YOUR HOME!
more dramatic depending on the angle
I have spent lots of time photographing you choose and how close you position
my family in our home. I know the light in your subject to the window.
my home like the back of my hand. This is
Window light is most versatile when no
a skill you can acquire, too, to help you get
direct sunlight is streaming in. Watch
great photos of your kids indoors without
the window for a few days and see if/
having to always pull out the dreaded
when there is direct light. North- and
pop-up flash.
south-facing windows have little direct

Photographing your Kids 16

 light, and are therefore nice for photo-
graphing in.
To create dramatic lighting using window
light, place the window to the side of your
subject. This dramatic lighting is best for
emphasizing form, shape, and texture.
I think this type of lighting can be very
beautiful. If you find the shadows created
harsh shadows under the eyes or bright
spots on part of the face and dark shad-
ows on another.
SHADE AND CLOUDS
Shade and clouds are one of the easiest
ways to get nice even lighting outdoors.
Shade can be found near buildings and

to be too much, you can soften some of the structures or under trees. Be aware that

shadows this light creates by using a white trees generally produce dappled shade—

card or board as a reflector to bounce light allowing the sun to peak through where

back into the shadow areas. the leaves aren’t blocking it. While this
type of light can be beautiful, you have
To get softer, less dramatic lighting, stand
to be careful that bright spots don’t end
or sit with your back to the window and
up on your subject’s face or somewhere
have your subject facing the window and
they can detract from your subject. Tech-
you. This light will be very soft and similar
nically, a cloudy day produces shade
to shade with little shadow or highlight.
everywhere as the clouds are acting as a
Whatever you photograph, remember that structure and preventing the harsh di-
you CAN find good light. Be aware of where rectional light typically produced by the
your highlights and shadows are, and alter sun.
your camera angle or position to get the
best light possible.

OUTDOOR LIGHT

When shooting with the sun, the best times

of day to shoot are when the sun is low
in the sky—early morning or late evening.
During the winter, the sun never makes it
all the way directly overhead, so good light
can be found almost anytime.

The nice thing about shooting in sunlight

is that you can usually tell rather quickly
whether the light is flattering or not. It is
best to avoid harsh, contrasty light on the
face. As you look at your subject, look for

Photographing your Kids 17

 “ Your first 10,000
photographs are
your worst.
—Henri Cartier Bresson

Photographing your Kids 18

What Gear Do I Need?
I THINK YOU CAN CAPTURE BEAUTI-
FUL PHOTOS OF YOUR FAMILY WITH
WHATEVER GEAR YOU HAVE NOW.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR MAXIMIZ-
ING WHAT YOU HAVE AND SOME SUG-
GESTIONS TO MAKE GETTING THESE
PHOTO EASIER!
Definitely start with what you have. Even
a cell phone can produce nice photos of
your family. I use mine all the time.
A point-and-shoot camera can also work
for capturing nice photos. Use the sugges-
tions for good light shared in the previous
pages. If possible turn off your flash and
boost your ISO when you are indoors.
cameras have a good enough ISO range
that will work for photographing indoors.
Some of the oldest DSLR and point-and-
shoot cameras struggle here. Anything
purchased in the last 6 years should be
pretty good.
A TRIPOD is also important for
anytime that you’d like to be in the pho-
to (which I hope is regularly since you
ARE a part of the family!) Don’t buy the
cheapest tripod from Walmart if you
have a DSLR camera. They aren’t real-
ly built to hold a lot of weight. Look for
something a step up that can hold the
weight of your camera and lenses.

DSLR GEAR THAT HELPS A REMOTE SHUTTER RELEASE

is another helpful tool for anytime you
A 50MM F/1.8 LENS or other fixed
are trying to be in the photo. This allows
focal length lens makes getting great
you to trigger the shutter without press-
indoor shots infinitely easier. It’s ability to
ing the shutter release on your camera.
open up to such wide apertures allows in
There are wired and wireless versions.
so much light.

The good news is that there is no need to

break the bank. Both Canon and Nikon
make a very inexpensive and sharp ver-
sion of these lenses that can be purchased
between $100 and $200.

A CAMERA WITH A GOOD ISO

RANGE will also be really helpful when
shooting indoors. A range between 100-
3200 ISO is best. No need to break the
bank here, either. Most current entry level

Photographing your Kids 19

 Take it Slow and
Be Yourself
THANKS FOR MAKING IT ALL THE WAY to expect more from ourselves than we
TO THE END WITH ME. I HOPE THIS have skills to accomplish.
HELPS YOU ENJOY PHOTOGRAPHING
Be patient. Practice. Don’t rush. Enjoy the
YOUR OWN FAMILY A LITTLE MORE!
ride!
I have two additional thoughts here at the
Second, Be YOU! You are unique. Your
end.
family is unique. Your story is unique.
First, take this whole photograph- You have a unique way of capturing
ing-your-family thing one step at a time. your family. Capture it. That is the most
important first step.
Great photos will not happen overnight,
but they will happen over TIME. It is easy

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