The Secret to taking magical photos of your kids

17.12.2021

Siblings cuddling in the snow
little toddler girl reading her books , at a photo shoot in Oberrieden
little naked feet of a baby boy in Zurich
little baby boy playing with the hungry caterpillar

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:

  1. 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.
  1. 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! 
newborn baby feet of a girl, in Birmensdorf Zurich
dad cuddling his toddler boy while riding his bobby car, at a family photo session in Irchel Park Campus Zurich
toddler girl holding her baby brother during a family photoshoot in Meilen, Zurich
little girl with Down Syndrome laughing in Wädenswil countryside, during a family photo session

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).

 

flip your phone upside down to take great photos of your kids
 

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!

 

Siblings reading a book together

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.

Siblings reading a book together

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.

siblings sitting at Irchel Park, posing for family photos
little boy posing on staircase at Rieterpark
Family walking at Albispass with mountain view
Family walking at Albispass with mountain view
American expat family standing on a bridge at Zurich old town for a family photo shoot with Kati
Geschwister halten sich and den Händen
little girl in a field with flowers for lifestyle family photographer Kati Zurich
little girl in a field with flowers for lifestyle family photographer Kati Zurich

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.

Or, download my FIVE INSPIRING TIPS for getting fun and relaxed family photos.

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