5 Tips To Take Great Photos Of Your Kids

Trying to get a good photo of your kids can be as elusive as the Holy Grail, or understanding why people wear leggings as pants. There is one key rule that I have instituted with my kids since they were little and it is is very basic.

I need ONE good photo.

The faster that you cooperate and give me a photo that I deem as good, the faster you are free to go and build LEGO/color photos/play Minecraft. If you make grimaces, or scowls, or nasty faces, then you're just dragging out the process. I don't want to spend an hour taking photos, you don't want to spend an hour posing for photos, so the faster you cooperate, the faster we are done. Done, done, done.

This doesn't always work when your kids are wee. Exhibit A: Easter 2008.

Meltdowns aside, here are five tips for taking great photos of your kids:

1. Use Whiskey

Not the beverage; the word. Unless, of course, a shot of whiskey is your thing. If you try to make your kids smile by telling them to say “cheese” their smiles will look cheesy. If you have them say “whiskey” (or “monkey” if you have an adverse reaction to whiskey), their smiles look more natural.

(You may have a son who smirks 99% of the time. Run with it.)

2. Shoot Them (Off-centered)

The technical term is “Rule Of Thirds,” but the gist of it is this: You do not want them right smack in the middle of the frame. Move them to the right or left of center and you will have a shot that is instantly better.

3. Fill The Frame

If you are hoping to capture a good portrait of your child, zoom in and fill a large portion of the frame with her face. To get an even more dynamic shot, crop out the top part of her head.

4. Catch Them When They Aren’t Looking

We all seem to be programmed that the best shots are the ones where our children are looking at the camera, smiling the perfect smile, and showing the world how adorable they are. Sometimes a great photo of them occurs when they are not even aware that you are snapping their photo.