Inside: How to Take Pictures of Your Own Kids – oh this can be a stressful and draining task. With these tips I can guarantee it will be stress free when it comes to the challenge of how to get your kids to smile for photos!
Hey beautiful mamas! I’m Sara with Sara Nicole Photography. I live in North East Ohio with my husband and 3 boys! Growing up I was the oldest of 4 kids. 13 years between myself and my youngest sister. You can follow me on Instagram for more inspiration when it comes to taking pictures of your own kids!
My mom worked a lot of evenings so I was home with everyone a lot. I remember standing in our kitchen washing dishes and looked out the window to see my baby sister taking a few steps on her own to my younger sister and dad. It was a beautiful sunset, muggy summer evening. I remember grabbing my moms old film camera, sneaking out the back door, around the house and getting a picture and no one even saw. It’s one of my favorites still today.
Fast forward through a few years of college and random pictures of my little sister and our dog with my little point and shoot camera… my husband surprised me with my first starter DLSR in 2013. A Canon t3i. I at the time had a new baby and a 2 year old. I realized quickly how much I loved taking my own kids pictures. I quickly upgraded the lens that came with it and got a “nifty fifty” 50mm.
After learning it completely, and doing a few pictures for friends I upgraded to a Nikon D750 with Nikkor 35mm 1.8 and started my business in 2015!
My kids are my muse.
I started because of them!
I am a sunset chaser. Anywhere there is beautiful light I have my camera ready. I don’t pose my kids!
How to Take Pictures of Your Own Kids
- I recommend things to take along, like trucks they love, or a wagon, their tractors, etc. Sometimes we just go out and take walks and pick wild flowers. Sometimes I come around the corner of the house to find them working hard making something. My camera is ALWAYS close!
- I typically shoot my own kids with my Nikkor 35mm 1.4 because it’s a wide angle and I can get nice and close. If I’m really wanting that smooth buttery background I will get out my Sigma 85mm 1.4. But it is heavier to lug around!
- I always shoot wide open, or close to it. Meaning f1.8 or lower.
- I toggle focus and choose my focus point moving it around a ton. A little blur to me creates emotion for the person looking at the picture that otherwise a totally sharp image may not give.
- To compensate with sharpness I shoot with a high shutter speed around 1/1200-1/4000 depending on how bright it is. That way I can shoot open, and have the kids sharp, it also keeps me from blowing out my skies! So that’s another perk of high shutter speed. As it gets darker I will bring it down no lower then 1/1000, but I bring up my ISO so I don’t have to come down too low.
- When shooting in bright evening sun sometimes I will shoot with it directly behind me. I move around so its behind an arm, head, something and keep moving until I see it shoot around that area like a halo.
- If I don’t want that halo affect I will shoot with the sun to the left or right of the frame so you get that gorgeous glow almost flowing into the image. I do love a good moody photo as well if the skies are just right! But my love is sunset! Check out these 5 Tips on How To Take Backlit Photos
- The best way to start getting experience it to just get out there and practice!!
- They don’t have to be perfect. The most imperfect moments to me are the perfect ones! That’s how I do every session whether its little ones, a family, or even a couple!!
- Its about the moments, not the poses.
As Digital Photo Mentor says ” Photographing Your Own Kids – the world’s toughest models!” How true this is! So remember it’s about the moments not the poses!
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