Wednesday 28 February 2018

PHOTOGRAPHY: How I Prepare and Capture a Photoshoot at Home with my Children

How to Prepare and Capture a Photoshoot at Home with your Children
If you've ever tried to take photos of your children, whether you're a blogger or not, then you'll probably know how difficult it can be. Anything from babies being sick, toddlers having tantrums, blurry shots, snotty noses, poor lighting...the list could go on. As someone who takes a lot of photos of my children I have dealt with these challenges on many occasions, but I've also learnt some ways to capture that much wanted shot with relative ease. Now, I'm certainly no photography expert, in fact I'd say I was a complete novice but that doesn't take away from how much I love capturing candid moments and setting up beautiful scenes. Since starting blogging photography has become one of my passions, so getting my first DSLR camera at Christmas was an absolute dream come true. I was lucky enough to receive the Canon EOS 200D, which is compact, easy to use and versatile.

However you don't need a DSLR camera to take beautiful photographs of your children, previously I had the Canon PowerShot SX510 HS and smart phones are always a good option. I also don't have any 'lighting', fancy lens or photo editing software, just the kit lens and the editing programme that comes with Canon DSLR cameras. Don't let not having a 'fancy' camera stop you from capturing your children's childhood.

When it comes to brand work on my blog/social media I will sometimes aim to capture candid shots, while other times I'll create a scene. I pay a lot of time and attention to all brand work I do, so ensuring there are beautiful photos to accompany a blog post is really important to me. To some degree I find doing a sort of mini photoshoot at home a lot easier than catching those candid shots because I have a lot more control over the situation. As long as I know the style of scene I want to create (Pinterest is the font of all inspiration you'll ever need!) then taking the photos is usually pretty straightforward. That is with the help of these tips and tricks...


Make sure your children are happy and content prior to photographing - It probably goes without saying, but ensuring that your children are fed, not too tired, warm enough etc. makes photographing them a lot easier. There's no fun in trying to take happy, pretty photos when you're faced with grumpy children.


Set up the scene during nap time or while they are occupied - If I have an idea for a scene I'd like to create, whether it be a teddy bear's picnic in the garden or the girls playing in Isabella's bedroom, I will try to set it up prior to taking the photos. Usually I'll do it while they nap or in the evening the night before, otherwise I'll get Isabella involved so she feels like she's helping.


Use distractions to avoid full facial shots - A lot of my photos I try to avoid showing my two daughter's full face, so having a second adult to get them to look a certain way can really help. This is going to sound pretty random, but failing that I will use plastic flowers because they are long and light. I can wiggle them around away from the camera direction, so that the girls aren't looking directly at the camera. Anything that is long and light enough to hold up is perfect for this.
Teddy bears picnic with JoJo Maman Bebe Spring Summer 2018 Collection
Be silly - A lot of parenthood is about being silly or funny, so bring this to taking photos. The faces I pull, funny voices I put on and words I say contribute to getting genuine smiles, rather than the 'in pain' toddler smile. One of the things that my girls find the funniest is if I say random animal names, don't ask me why but I can guarantee a big smile with that technique.

Plan something nice for afterwards - This one only really applies if I've set up a certain shot and therefore it's not a candid capture. Even though I will always plan photos to appeal to both children and make it as fun as possible, sometimes Isabella will need a bit of encouragement to look a certain way (i.e. not towards the camera) so I always try to plan something nice for afterwards. It isn't ever anything too fancy, just a 'cow biscuit' (malted milk) or sticking or playing Bug Bingo (her current favourite game) or making a den.
Teddy bears picnic with JoJo Maman Bebe Spring Summer 2018 Collection
Play games - If Isabella is full of energy and I'm struggling to get a photo of her that isn't blurry then we'll play a game. It usually goes along the lines of running around/silly dancing and then when I say 'stop' she stands still. It requires a quick reaction from me, as I have a very short amount of time to get a photo before she starts dancing around again, but it's a good one to have. Another game I play with Poppy is peek-a-boo, which works really well if she keeps flapping her arms or legs around. I'll do a big build up to the 'boo' and she will usually stay still in anticipation before excitedly wriggling around.

Take lots of photos - You can either set your camera to take continuous photos or just keep clicking away. The more photos you take the higher the chance of having the shot you want.


There you have it - my top tips for photographing those wriggly, messy and sometimes temperamental little ones we call our children!


What are your top photography tips?


Feel free to leave a comment - I love reading every single one :)


Helen x

I have linked this blog post up with Blogger Club UK.
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16 comments

  1. Aww they are some great tips. I love the natural photos rather than the posed ones. I literally snap a million and finally have that perfect one - they don't and won't pose for me anyway !!!

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  2. Thanks for the tips. I have three children and getting a good shot of them all is almost impossible to achieve! #BloggerclubUK

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  3. Your shots are always great, you can tell you work hard on them.

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  4. so cute! I will have to try this next time I visit my family -- I have hardly any up to date photos of my younger siblings or baby cousin

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  5. I'm a fan of taking lots of pictures too - I definitely find having a decent camera helps - I've got some good pictures on my phone but my best ones are always on my DSLR.

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  6. Great tips for photography with kids. Ever since my son started walking, and more so running around, I've had my cameras on continuous mode. It saves me giving out to him and sometimes you manage to capture a gem!

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  7. These are some great tips! I can't wait to have my own kids to take loads of photos of them!

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  8. Some excellent tips. Be prepared and be relaxed around kids and then you will capture that fabulous photo.

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  9. I don’t have kids yet but every time we take pictures with my nephew we are always goofing around and they normally turn out good. Great tips

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  10. Fantastic tips... I know first hand how difficult it is to get everyone looking the right way. Especially with a 12 year old who hates having his photo taken.

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  11. These are great tips! I too blog so take lots of pictures of my children and will definitely give some of these a try!

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  12. Oh this is adorable!! You really have the perfect set up and your pictures are gorgeous! Great tips thank you!

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  13. Really great tips. I love to shoot loads and then pick a couple that are good. Sometimes I like the posed ones too as it's funny to look back on those silly faces they pull! #bloggerclubuk

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  14. It's true what you say about the cameras! I often take better photos with my iPhone than my DSLR.

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  15. I struggle to get good photo's of my kids sometimes. There are some great tips here that I will be trying out on my next project

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  16. These are great tips! I need to remember these next time I want good photos of my two! X #bloggerclubuk

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