I recommend hiring a photographer to capture your children growing up. The professional photos will tell your family’s story, and can become a piece of art in your home.

At the same time, I understand that you aren’t going to have a professional photographer with you every day to capture everything. But wouldn’t that be amazing if you could? 😉

Below are 5 tips for photographing your kids.

1. Set aside time. 

As a parent, I’m sure you’re always busy. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to not take any photos of your kids.

I understand how difficult it is. You’re trying to juggle a ton of tasks, and don’t want to add one more thing on to your to-do list. The thing is that every once in awhile you have to take a step back from your daily life with your family and reflect.

Twenty years from now, what will your kids remember about their childhood?

No matter what, your kids will have family memories. But if you take photos often of your family’s life, then years later your kids will have photographs to look back on.

Even if 20 years from now your children don’t remember a certain family vacation, it’s OK. You can show your child photos from the trip and relive that memory with them.

2. Capture your daily lives.

Don’t tell your kids to “say cheese,” “smile,” or “stand up straight.” The second you start directing, your kids will get frustrated, and not want to be photographed.

Try to take photos of your kids just being themselves. Photograph them playing around the house. Mundane tasks like going grocery shopping can be made less boring by taking photos of your kids doing something cute.

Try to always have a camera with you, because you never know when you might need it. And don’t feel like you need to lug your SLR camera everywhere. A smartphone with a camera or a point-and-shoot camera are sufficient.

The photos you take probably won’t be technically perfect, or professional quality, but they still will encapsulate your daily life as a family, and that’s invaluable.

3. Get down to their level. 

When taking photos of your kids, make sure your camera is eye level with them. Eye level is the most pleasing perspective and will make your child’s face the focus of each photo.

4. Take a variety of photos. 

Mix it up by taking both close-up and pulled back photos. Take a pulled back shot to capture more of your child and his/her environment, and close up shots to capture your child’s expressions. Make sure to take both, because you will want to remember it all years from now.

5. Archive your photos. 

Make it a habit to take photos off your camera or phone as often as possible. Your camera or phone could get water damage, stolen, lost, or broken. Think about how terrible it would be to lose a year or even more of your family photos. I suggest taking your photos off your camera or phone at least once a week. Make sure to back up your photos in more than one place. I recommend Dropbox. It’s an online storage solution that is completely free for up to 500MB of space.

Are you looking for a professional photographer to capture a day in the life of your family? Click here to contact me today.