As many of you know, I mentor for Photosanity, an online workshop that helps parents take better photos of their kids and get a handle on organizing, editing, and sharing those photos!
This week’s lesson is on how to get your children to cooperate in front of the camera, something that a lot of parents struggle with! The lesson is filled with all kinds of tips and strategies. Below are my favorite tips for photographing siblings and groups of kids. Most of the time, I take the approach of playing down the fact that I’m taking photos. I love capturing kids interacting when they don’t even notice I’m there. It allows me to get the most natural expressions and candid moments.
Tip #1: Have them play a game. If they’re older, then a fun board game can be great—pick something that you know will make them laugh. For younger kids, try hand-clapping games like patty cake or have them do a few rounds of Ring Around the Rosie and London Bridge.
Here’s one of my favorite children’s portraits from a day at Huntington Beach celebrating at a 5-year-old’s beach birthday party. These two boys were completely oblivious to me as they played patty cake. I especially love the orange Cheetos fingers!
Tip #2: Give ‘em some colored chalk and get them out on the sidewalk! Kids, chalk, and sidewalks are a terrific combination and full of photo opportunities, with the added bonus that you can photograph their finished product! Ideally you’ll want them working on the same drawing—have them come up with an idea for a drawing together, or you can come up with one as a new, exciting challenge for them.
Tip #3: And while they’re on the sidewalk, don’t forget about hopscotch, jump rope, and a big sidewalk version of tic-tac-toe! These games will keep them active and having a good time, but not moving around so much that you can’t capture the moments.
I’ll be blogging about future workshop lessons so be sure to “like” me on Facebook to get the latest updates!
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