How to Take Better Pictures of Children

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Not long ago, I reviewed professional photographer Nick Kelsh’s new DVD called How to Photograph Your Baby. You can read a full review and watch a snippet of the video on Feels Like Home Recommends. I loved it.

I know that we all want to take better pictures of our children, so I thought I’d share Nick’s top 3 tips with you, my Dear Readers. His DVD and website have many more tips, but these following will get you started.

Nick Kelsh stresses that taking great pictures of our kids requires little background in the technical aspects of photography and no special equipment. We all love our kids, and we all have access to them in the times that they are the cutest, most active, most fun, and most interesting.

Tip #1: Get Closer to Your Baby

Don’t be shy when photographing your baby. Get closer and avoid all the background clutter that distracts viewers from the most important element in the photo – your baby. “Parents who take pictures of their babies never see all the background objects that often ruin the picture. All they see is their beautiful child. Don’t be afraid to get closer to your baby and try to be as conscious about the things you don’t want in the picture as much as what you do want.”

Tip #2: Natural Light Is Key

Using flash in dark environments or for taking snapshots at parties is fine – but shut the flash off when photographing your baby. Instead, Kelsh suggests using natural light to create a softer, more attractive photograph. “Move your baby closer to any light source – a sunbeam coming through a window, under a skylight, even peering out an open door,” says Kelsh. “You will immediately see a drastic improvement in the quality of light and if you follow the “get closer’ tip, your baby will appreciate you turning the flash off too.”

Tip #3: Take Lots of Pictures

If you’re thinking, you’re probably not shooting – so just keep your finger on the shutter. One of the great advantages to digital photography is that there is no added cost to taking lots of photos versus just a few. The more photos you snap, the greater the odds for an album filled with priceless images. Nick Kelsh dubs this the ‘luck factor.’

“Many people don’t realize how many thousands of photos professional photographers take just to get the few really good ones we see in Sports Illustrated, Time Magazine and even our favorite daily newspapers,” explains Kelsh. “Don’t be afraid to keep shooting, because it’s your best guarantee for that one perfect picture.”

I’m happy to say that I’ve already started putting these tips to work for me. My photos are definitely getting better, as you may have already noticed.

Enter to win a copy of Nick Kelsh’s DVD, How to Photograph Your Baby at Feels Like Home Recommends!

Happily submitted to Works for Me Wednesday, Beautiful Life Friday and Frugal Friday (use the camera you have instead of buying new equipment!)

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