Taking pictures of my family is not only important to me but extremely enjoyable. It’s a chance for me to be creative. I love looking back on these pictures. I get to document my kids, our best memories and feelings. I love challenging myself to capture their personalities.
Bonus…It makes me a better photographer when I practice on my own family.
Set Expectations for Yourself and Others
My husband knows that taking pictures is my idea of fun. But I know that it’s not his idea of fun. If your husband or kids or mom HATE pictures, make sure you have an honest conversation. “I know you hate pictures, but they are very important to me. I won’t make you pose or take pictures all day, but I would really love some of x, x and x.”
Take Posed Pictures First
I always ask my husband to take a few pictures of me and the kids before we begin our day or activity. We pose, we smile, and then he’s free the rest of the day. I love to do posed pictures first for several reasons:
- we are happier
- we aren’t hangry
- we are dressed and ready
- and most importantly, I know we “got the shot” right in the beginning.
We get those “posed shots” done very very quickly and right at the beginning. I know I got the shot I need. Everything else is just EXTRA. I can either put my camera away or continue to shoot just to be creative. I can put my camera down at any point and know that we have a memory from the day. This allows me to be more present and more creative.
Watch for Moments & Keep Your Camera Close
Quality over quantity. Don’t just snap snap snap and miss out on every memory. I like to keep my camera close by. At home, it’s on my nightstand or kitchen counter. When we leave the house, I keep it in my car. On vacations, I usually have it hanging on my holster. Its there, but it’s not in front of my face. I can quickly grab it when I see a moment happen, but I don’t need to always be shooting through it.
WAIT FOR THE EMOTION
I hold my focus on my kid’s faces and just wait. Wait, wait, wait. Instead of clicking 100 times and hoping I got a good picture of the moment, I wait for a laugh, a sweet smile or a tear. It’s like a game. You can have the most beautiful backdrop and a stunning subject, but it’s the sweet smiles that make the biggest difference between a snapshot and a story. Be intentional with what you capture. And be intentional with your angles and find the ones with the least amount of distractions.
BE CREATIVE
This is your time to be creative with composition or lighting. Try new angles. Shoot far away. Then get really really close. Use backlight, side light, front light.
If you want to learn more about using manual settings, creative compositions or light, my Nitty Gritty Course in the OPB Membership is a great resource. I’ve had many students switch from using auto mode to full manual settings in one day.
How to Take Better Pictures of your Kids without Ruining your Vacation
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Kylee Ann Maughan is a family and international brand photographer based in small-town Northern Utah. She has been a business owner for 13.5 years, and also runs a successful and award-winning associate team. Kylee hosts semi-annual retreats, speaks at conferences and teaches online courses about running a small business and marketing. Her niche in coaching is helping moms turn their passion into profit, while being the mom they dream of.
March 22, 2018
Kylee Maughan
