10 Photography Tips To Take Nice Shots Of Your Kids

Kids grow up too fast. You may have heard this too many times from parents. Before you realise it, those everyday moments with them can be relived only as memories. So any chance you get, be sure to capture pictures of your children’s twinkling eyes, innocent smiles and little feet. You will want to store them away and revisit them later.

Whether you are using a dedicated camera or smartphone, there are important considerations that make every photo perfect. Ready to level up and take better pictures of your children like the pros?

The Straits Times asks its chief photojournalist Kevin Lim and executive photojournalists Gavin Foo and Lim Yaohui for their secrets. They are also fathers with kids aged one to seven.

1. Adults first, kids last

The formula to nailing a beautiful family portrait? Get the adults into position first, followed by any older kids, and have them smiling into the camera.

You should enter the frame with your littlest one last.

This is also when the photographer should quickly get your young child’s attention by, for instance, shaking a rattle. Then snap away once he or she looks at the camera.

“The longer you hold your little one, the more stressful the situation can get because young children tend to get restless easily and become uncooperative,” says Mr Kevin Lim.

He adds with a laugh that his family had only a split-second to capture their portrait, to celebrate their younger son Kayen’s first birthday in 2023. After framing the shot, Mr Lim passed the camera to his mother to take the picture.

It is part of a family photo series taken over the years at his late maternal grandmother’s neighbourhood in Taiwan.

The 42-year-old has been returning to the exact spot with the same bicycle to capture his growing family with his wife, ST senior executive photojournalist Neo Xiaobin, 41. The couple also have a six-year-old son, Kiran.

Referring to the 2023 shot, he says: “If you take a closer look, Kayen was reluctant and on the verge of crying. Thankfully, the photo still worked out.”

2. Be familiar with your camera settings

Speed is of the essence when you are taking pictures of young children, who generally have a short attention span.

It is important to have your camera ready and toggle the settings before approaching your kids.

For instance, Ms Neo already had her phone camera on portrait mode when she saw her husband holding their younger son and swinging him backwards playfully.

“She took this shot of us when the moment presented itself. And it turned out to be interesting because it had a mirror image effect of father and son,” Mr Kevin Lim says.

Portrait mode, a common feature in phone cameras, allows one to zero in on the subjects’ faces, blurring the distractions in the background.

Another handy feature is burst mode, which allows you to take rapid continuous shots so you have a range of photos to select from. Make good use of that to shoot your active kids, Mr Foo suggests.

3. Maintain a calm demeanour

Kids can look awkward when you ask them to pose for the camera. They may not know what to do, so some parents simply ask their children to flash a V-sign, Mr Lim Yaohui observes.

But if they hold up their two fingers in every shot, you will eventually get a boring photo wall or album.

Look around the surroundings and try creative alternatives that your children can relate to, says the 42-year-old.

For example, when your children come across penguin sculptures, they may wish to stretch their hands out and waddle like the birds.

Or suggest that your dinosaur-loving kids give a mighty roar when taking photos with replicas of the extinct reptiles.

Mr Lim’s five-year-old son Jun An had fun doing so when they found them near the Hong Kong Observation Wheel during a vacation. He has two other sons Jun Kai, seven, and Jun Xi, one.

5. Let your kids be themselves

A fail-proof way to score better photos of your children is to snap spontaneous shots.

You are sure to capture a series of candid and natural photos, especially when they are having fun, says Mr Foo.

That was how the 45-year-old captured a magical moment of his only child Clovelly twirling in a Disney Princess Elsa costume. She was dressed up to celebrate her fourth birthday in school in January.

“I encouraged her to dance however she wanted. She immediately began spinning around with joy, completely immersed in the moment,” he recalls.

6. Anticipate their movements

Children are constantly on the move and rarely stay in one place for long, especially at a playground filled with exciting distractions.

However, one thing is predictable. They will eventually head for the slide.

Instead of chasing his kid around in the hopes of taking a good photo, Mr Foo decided to wait patiently at the bottom of the slide. Sure enough, after a few moments, she climbed up, laughing as she slid down towards him.

Mr Foo says: “It was the perfect moment to capture her joy and energy without having to run after her. Sometimes, patience pays off with children.”

7. Get down to their eye level

You may have observed this in the photos showcased here: All were taken at the children’s eye level.

The photographer-fathers tend to stoop to their kids’ height in order to create more impactful photos.

That is because when you can see your children’s expressions clearly, they will appear more engaged.

Sometimes, you can go even lower for a more dynamic angle, says Mr Kevin Lim.

8. Be ahead of your kids

You will not want to miss your children’s first steps or that wide-eyed wonder on their face when they explore a new place.

The trick is to get in front of your little one and snap away as he or she toddles over to you. Meanwhile, remember the golden rule of getting down to your kid’s eye level.

Mr Kevin Lim captured the twinkle in his firstborn’s eyes when the boy, then three years old, was holidaying in Taiwan.

Separately, to snap that special moment of his one-year-old son taking his first steps recently, Mr Lim Yaohui also positioned himself well in front of his baby.

9. Create playful moments

Mr Foo wanted to take fun snaps of his daughter at the beach. But as she was focused on building sandcastles, her gaze was fixed downward.

He gave her a suggestion: Grab a handful of sand and let the grains fall slowly from as high a height as she could manage. He was inspired by the hourglass timer which she watches whenever she brushes her teeth.

“Excited by the familiar comparison, she eagerly lifted her hand and let the sand trickle down, her face tilting upwards,” he says.

“It was the perfect way to capture her bright, curious eyes in the moment.”

10. Join in the fun

The final piece of advice here will not help you take beautiful pictures, but your kids will thank you for it.

Let go of the compulsive need to shoot everything, Mr Lim Yaohui reminds.

Sure, snap some photos as a memento of your visit to the new park or their birthday celebrations. Then put away your camera, whether or not you have captured the ideal pictures.

Be present in the moment with them and enjoy the experience together because, well, kids grow up too fast.

This article was originally published on The Straits Times.