Professional children’s photographer, Carly Abbott, shares her advice on getting great snapshots of your little ones.
1. Natural lighting
Turn off your flash. No matter how well you know your flash, it is an enemy. It flattens everything and makes your images boring. Go outside, or in a room with great window light. And more is not always better. If the noonday sun is bright, head into the shade where there is no glare — and no squinting.
2. Forget posing, just play
It’s a general rule that kids hate a photo shoot. You do get the rare ham who loves to pose, but it almost always gets goofy. I prefer to let kids play in a familiar environment and catch them in moments of fun. If a kid is having fun and you get their attention, they will most likely grace you with a pause and a smile.
3. Don’t forget the background
Your child may look like the Gerber baby, but the eye will immediately be drawn to the chainlink fence and trash can behind her. Funky colored walls, pretty blankets and nature can all be wonderful accents.
4. Get an SLR
There are wonderful point-and-shoot cameras out there, but to get truly great results, nothing beats a digital SLR. And the market these days is full of affordable consumer cameras. Throw it on the portrait automatic setting to start, or get brave and play with it in manual. You will truly see a difference.
5. Call in a pro
Obviously, only Brangelina have paparazzi covering every family outing. Using these tips, you can capture your kids’ childhoods for them to treasure, and to share with friends and family. But nothing beats the images you will get with a professional child photographer. So, every once and a while, for new births, birthdays, etc., give one a call. The shoot will be quick, fun, and you’ll be glad you did it.
