If you are a parent, you most likely spend more than 80% of your memory card (or film!) photographing your children.  As a photography and parenting enthusiast, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some helpful advice on making the most of this pursuit.

For the more technically inclined, there are lots of decisions to be made about shooting modes, film/ISO speeds, lens choices, etc.  Based on my own experience, using a fast lens (with a big aperture) and a camera with a fast response time (DSLR or SLR) works wonders.  With any gear, using Aperture Priority mode should give you better results, when photographing children.  If you have the option, choosing faster shutter speeds will help you get that action shot of your little one darting by!  And, my personal preference is to avoid using built-in Flash as much as possible – you get much better skintones and results if you can work with the available light.

Coming to the actual shooting, it’s been said countless times that photographing children is best done when the child is comfortable with the surroundings and the photographer.  Whatever you can do to make them more comfortable will help, and whatever you do to cause stress will not!  If you’re unfamiliar with the location, it may help to do a small walkaround and plan your shots in terms of where the children will feel most naturally at ease.  Candid shots may yield far better results than your attempts to make the child pose in a certain way, but sometimes a child’s attempt at artifically posing can make for a memorable photograph.  If your camera has a burst mode, you can get interesting results of your kids in action.  Most importantly, try to get down to their level and see their world from that height – the photographs you shoot from down there may turn out to be the ones you keep.

For good measure, read this excellent article from Digital Photography School on How to Photograph Children; it also sports some great children shots for inspiration.  Also, Elizabeth Halford’s blog has a number of excellent posts on photographic children.

Happy clicking!