Contributed by professional photographer Grace of Stories.my
It is every parent’s dream to take natural and smiley photos of their children, instead of those stiff poses with forced grins. Or worse, cranky and tear-stained faces. A parent always wishes to capture a child’s natural beauty and happiness as they see it. If you have a toddler above the age of 1, you will know that barking instructions or scolding them to behave will hardly ever end up with good results.
Here are some professional tips on getting natural photos of your children that you can treasure forever.
1. Schedule photo shoots around the time when they are happiest.
If your child is a morning person and loves to laugh after her breakfast and morning bath, then that would be the best time to take photos. Catch them in their best mood for the best photos. Try to avoid scheduling photo sessions during nap times or when your child is starving!
2. Play!
Children love to play, and the key to getting natural smiles would be to make the photo session fun. Make silly faces, throw them upside down, play a tickle game… the list is endless.
3. Create the session around a fun family activity.
Perhaps everyone in the family loves to play sports together, or enjoys ice cream after a bike ride in the park. Shared activities bring joy and that makes it a lot easier to coax the smiles out of children. If the only activity you have ever done with your toddler is watch TV or play games with the iPad, then it is time to get out of the house!
4. Anticipate the moment.
Whatever camera you own, you need to familiarize yourself with the settings and be quick to press the shutter. Anticipate a moment before it happens, and be two steps ahead mentally and physically. If you are not confident about your skills, the burst mode on the camera is a really powerful and useful tool!
5. Photograph them all the time.
Make the camera a third extension of your arm, and always have it around handy. After a while, your child will learn to ‘ignore’ the camera, and you will find it easier to capture them naturally. Give them positive experiences all the time, and they will see the camera as a friend, not a foe.
