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Tips for Photographing Kids

Posted October 14, 2016

So you’ve decided to use your kids as models for your handmade clothing photoshoot . . . Only problem is when you get to the location you’ve chosen it’s like herding cats! This blog post brings together some of our best tips for photographing kids from the One Thimble Sewing Enthusiasts group!

How to get your model to play along!

Be flexible. If your model has the grumps and you need some photos it can be very tempting to try to cajole them into letting you take the photos. Some days, (you know the days I’m talking about!!!) it’s really not worth it.
Work with a friend or another member of the family. If you’ve got someone else looking after your little ones mood it can be easier to concentrate on getting good pictures.
Make it fun. My daughter LOVES playing Simon Says when we take photos. It never fails to get her giggling and I get great photos.
Miquita turns a photoshoot into a game with a few photos, then a game of chase, ‘rinse and repeat’.

Consider treats and rewards. They don’t have to be sweet treats, we had nailpainting and movie watching as treats for a while. Leanne from Hollipop Lane uses a play at the park as a treat post photos.

Involve props. Chose something that will keep your little one entertained and engaged during the shoot that won’t “take away” from the final photos.
Leisa from i.e.kids suggests taking random shots while exploring a new location with your kids.
Toni-Maree says, “After watching so many photography tutorials and plenty of periscope broadcasts and Facebook lives where they are taking kids pictures, I realise that to get good photos of kids, even professionals take hundreds of frames. Like just shoot and shoot and shoot. So now I will pick a spot and place them in it, and just shoot shoot shoot and chat to them about stuff. Don’t be afraid to take hundreds of pics to get one good one! Even the pros do the same.”

Involve your model in taking the photos. I “trade” photos with my daughter. She gets to take 5 photos posed how she likes & then I get 5 photos with her posed my way.

Planning the shoot

Plan where you’ll be taking the photos. If your little one is anything like mine you’ll have a limited window of opportunity in which to take the photos. Don’t waste this time figuring out where you want your model to stand.

Keep it short. You’re less likely to have a temper tantrum on your hands if you can keep your photoshoot to 5-10minutes and no more than 2 or 3 outfits. If you’ve done the planning this will be easy.

Consider the time of day that you’re planning to take your photos. Afternoon light generally results in the best pictures, BUT I think it is far more important to pick a time of day when the little one is happiest and then choose a setting with the best possible lighting at that time of day.