The Secret to taking magical photos of your kids
Your Photo Tips by Lifestyle Family Photographer Kati | Zürich
Want a quick way to take better, more professional looking photographs of your kids with your iPhone or any camera? If you do this one single thing, you’ll immediately see a big difference in your photos.
And it’s super easy to do! And not really a secret.
Get Down Low
That’s it! Just like everything else in life, it’s all a matter of perspective.
Professional photographers know the secret to getting amazing-looking pics of kids is finding the best angle to take the photo.
Even if it means they’ve got to kneel down, or lie flat on the ground! Getting down low to take photos of toddlers and preschoolers is the key to entering the child’s world and telling their story.
And that’s what makes all the difference for two reasons:
- Because we’re taller than our kids. We usually take photos looking down at our children, so we end up with pictures featuring the tops of their heads! Sometimes, you don’t even see the child’s face in the photo.
- Because objects closest to the camera lens appear larger. So, by taking a picture of a small child from a standing position, you get photos of your child’s head looking a bit larger than it should!
How low do you go?
To achieve those super cute images of your kids, get down to their level.
Sit, kneel or even lie on your tummy.
If sitting or kneeling down is not an option, then flip your phone upside down to bring the camera closer to the ground (or just hold the camera close to the ground).
Aim the lens at the middle of their body (belly button, actually). This makes sure every part of their body will be equally distant from the lens. No more big heads!
If your partner is holding your child while standing, you might have to squat a bit to get the right level. I know, squats aren’t everyone’s thing, but it works!
So, if you’ve seen me leaning over, kneeling, squatting or crawling towards you through the mud during a family photoshoot — now you know why! I’ll do all kinds of fancy gymnastics if I have to make sure you get the most flattering angle.
Put a little movie magic in your photos
I’ve given you the recipe for taking exceptional family photos, now here’s the secret sauce.
By getting down low, you not only change the perspective, but you also change how the background and foreground look in your picture.
That means your children’s photos will instantly look more cinematic, more captivating and tell a bigger story.
Use leading lines to make your pictures pop
Did you know our minds automatically seek compositional cues like lines, contrast, patterns, etc. to help us quickly spot the most important thing in the photo.
This puts you in the director’s chair when photographing your children.
You can draw our attention right where you want it with this one little trick:
Use leading lines to draw the viewer’s eye towards a specific point of interest in your photo.
You can see in the photos below what I mean by leading lines. By using the edge of a wall, a building or hedge, you can direct the viewer’s eye right into the scene.
In fact, using leading lines can be so striking, it can dramatically change the mood and impact of the whole photo.
So, the next time you photograph your little bundle of joy, have them sit or stand next to a wall, a path outside, a bench, a house wall, the border of a field — anything that has a clear line or edge.
And then…get low to take the photo! You’ll see results pretty quickly.
So get low, get dirty, but most of all – have fun!
Yours, Kati
Looking for more inspiration and tips? See my blog on how you can take 7 different beautiful photos in one scene or why family films have become the latest trend in family photography.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
What is Personal Branding Photography?
by Zürich Lifestyle Photographer KatiMake a Lasting Impression with Professional Branding PhotographyAs a personal branding photography specialist working with businesses here in Zurich and all over Switzerland, I know just how transformational the right set of...
How to organise your photos on your phone
by Zürich Lifestyle Photographer KatiHow do you organise your mobile phone photos easily and be ready to create an album by the end of the year?We're all inundated with digital clutter these days, and often don't even realise it. Have you recently checked how many...