Tips from a pro: Baby & Toddler photos, get the shots you want from your little ones

Note from Jennifer: We have been working with Elza since my little girl was born. Elza has captured many happy memories for us, and we think she is fabulous. I really wanted to share her with the world, so I asked her to become a guest blogger for us and share some tips. Looking to take better baby & toddler photos? Elza is here to help! We hope you find her as delightful as we do. xx

 

1) GET TO EYE-LEVEL WITH THE CHILDREN:

When you photograph kids, the most interesting point of view is when you are at their level. So sit down, lean in, or lie down on the ground! What is important is that the camera is at the level of the eyes of your little model. Who said that it was elegant to be a kids photographer?

2) THE AUTOMATIC FOCUS:

This won’t be news to anyone: kids move a lot! Because of that, it is necessary to be quick to take the perfect shot at the right time. For this, you will need a camera with automatic focus.

3) A QUICK SHUTTER SPEED:

Alongside the automatic focus, shutter speed must be kept at a minimum of 1/200 to avoid any involuntary motion blur. A blurry picture is not our goal here!

4) MAKE IT INTO A GAME:

A lot of moms say to me that they are unable to get relaxed and un-posed photos because their children often lose patience just after few minutes of picture-taking. Here is my best trick to remedy this: Play with them while taking pictures! If they don’t feel forced to smile or to keep a pose, they will rather enjoy it. Encourage them to play, to blow bubbles, to read a book, to play with a teddy bear, to draw something…let your imagination, and theirs, run wild!

5) FORGET ABOUT «CHEESE», «LOOK AT THE CAMERA» OR «SMILE!»:

For my part, you will never hear me pronounce those words during a session. Your kids are too cute for you to only keep in memories their forced smiles. What we are looking for is to photograph their spontaneous and genuine smile! How do we achieve this? We make jokes and we ask them funny questions. With your youngest try tickles, make funny noises, play peek-a-boo, or just do what usually makes them laugh. The most important thing is to have a great time with them and to enjoy it. This is how you’ll get to photograph real smiles!

6) A REWARD:

I’m not ashamed to say that sometimes, blackmail is a good way to get a smile! 😉 Cookies and sweets for example have saved some sessions for me. When a toddler is intimidated by the camera or a child is having a tantrum, it’s one way to turn that frown upside down! With those tips, you should be able to photograph some cute smiles. Share it with me!