7 Tips for the Best Pictures With Your Kids!
Both my kids are full balls of energy and the last thing I want to do while I’m planning for a session of my own is to worry about this being a waste of time because they won’t sit still enough to get good pictures. Here are my 7 tips on getting the best pictures of your kids that you will love and want to keep forever!
Tip #1: Be In The Moment
One of the most important tips for the best pictures with your kids is to just be in the moment them! Yes, your getting pictures taken, but this is also a time where you don’t have any distractions! No tv, no phones, all your attention on your family! Enjoy spending time with them and creating core memories with your kids, trust me, they will remember!
Tip #2: Have Fun With Your Kids
Your session is the time to have fun with your kids! This is the time to tickle them, play games with them, and run around! This will give us the most genuine smiles and laughs but also give us candid pictures that you can look back on and remember the fun you all had!
Tip #3: Let Your Kids Be Themselves
The best pictures I get are of the kids having fun and just letting their personalities soar! Let your kids be themselves! Let them be silly, let them make those funny faces or do what makes them happy. This is who they are!
Story time: I went location scouting with my oldest who loves being silly and making faces. I was taking photos of him and of course, like any mom, just wanted a few smiling ones. Cue photographer’s child syndrome, he went “ugh ok” and gave me some good smiles then went back to making his kissy faces and pretending to be a superhero. My favorite photos from that are not the smiling ones, but the ones of him being himself making his cute kissy faces!
So, let them be themselves! I’ll get the smiling photos, but momma remember, they only stay this little once, so let them run around and roar like Dinos. It shows in the pictures and we want to remember how they are during this season of life!
Tip #4: Dress Them Comfortably
Clothes can be uncomfortable no matter what age you are so thats why we need to make sure the kids are dressed in comfortable clothing! If they are wearing something that is itchy, too small, or is just plain old uncomfortable, we’re not going to be able to get the best pictures. They’re going to be too worried about their clothes instead of being in the moment too!
If you need help finding what you and your family are going to wear for your session, check out my blog on outfits here.
Tip #5: Happy Kids = Snappy 📸 Kids
Ok, ok, I know it sounds cheesy but think about this in the same way as “happy wife happy life”, thats what I was going for. The happier your kids are, the more willing they’re going to be to get their picture taken! If they aren’t happy during your session, they aren’t going to want to be there let alone have me taking their picture. They’re going to remember it as a good time instead of a bad time! So henceforth, happy kids = getting the best pictures of your kids!
Tip #6: Don’t Stress – Be Positive!
I know your worried about getting all the shots but I’ve got this! I make sure to get everyone smiling at the camera and all the candid moments. BUT from someone with anxiety, I know being told to not stress is easier said than done! I’ve got this! I get all the candid moments and everyone smiling at the camera! Just make sure to try and keep the atmosphere positive!
Don’t be upset if your kids are running around and not standing where we ask. Let them run, let them play! It will help them get their energy out and they will be more willing to stand there and smile at the camera when they need a “break”.
The more positive you are, the better the session will turn out. Plus, this is another one that if the kids have a positive experience, then each time they see Ms. Bethany they be happy and ready to take pictures!
Tip #7: Smile Naturally
We’ve grown up being told to look at the camera and say “cheese”. Doing this gives unnatural smiles and can make your photos look awkward and unnatural. This is where smiling naturally comes in!
What does smile naturally mean? Well, smiling naturally means smile the way you would at your kids when you say I love you, when they tell you their favorite joke, or when they cuddle up to you. Smile with the love you have for your family. Forget the camera is there and remember Tip #1 and just be in the moment, smiling at your family. Don’t worry, I have plenty of prompts to help with these natural smiles too!
In the end the goal of every session with me is to have fun and make this a time where you and your family can always remember. Hopefully these 7 tips helped you get more prepared for your session so you can have the best pictures with your kids!
