Friends and clients often ask me how to take better pictures of their children on an everyday basis, so I thought I’d do a blog post for everyone. Keep in mind these few simple tips to improve the photos you are capturing of your children!

1. Get low! Getting down on a child’s level is key. Squat down, sit on the floor, lay in the grass. The difference will be more photos of her beautiful face versus the top of his head.

2. Keep it simple! Avoid distracting backgrounds to let his star shine brightest. Bright colors or a busy background really draw the eye of the viewer away from your subject.

3. Go natural! Posing is fine, but if you’re like me, you get nothing but “say cheese!” fake smiles. Hang back and capture your child in action…running through the sprinklers, concentrating on a puzzle, giggling with her sister.

4. Be prepared! Carry your camera in your purse or diaper bag to capture the unexpected, picture-worthy moments when you’re out and about.

5. Take it easy! Picture-taking can be stressless if you stress less. So you didn’t get the perfect shot you had envisioned? Just try again tomorrow. You don’t want your child to associate the camera with feeling pressured. If it’s not fun for him,, it won’t be fun for anyone!

And a bonus tip: Hand the camera off to someone and step into the frame too! Your child doesn’t care if you are having a bad hair day or if you need to lose 20 pounds. Just get in the picture!

And just a few fun ones of my big girl Claire, since a post isn’t a post without a picture!