Taking photos of your children in the big outdoors can be really tricky, often resulting in blurry captures that aren't quite what you were going for. As a family we really enjoy exploring new places, so I'm often photographing outside, in pretty gardens or on family walks. But if you do more photography at home then I have shared my tips and tricks for that here. Though I'm no expert when it comes to photography, (I'd definitely fit in the 'beginner' category) I have learnt a few different tips and tricks along the way that I thought I'd share.
Visit pretty and engaging places - Part of capturing candid moments that are beautiful is the setting in which they are taken in. Some of my favourite places to take natural photos are woodland, lakes, gardens in the grounds of big old houses, country parks, streams and fields. By visiting somewhere beautiful you don't have to worry about whether the background is going to ruin a photo. I've also found that having some child-friendly activities helps to get different facial expressions and movement in the photos. Old houses/castles often have trials to follow, bug hotels to explore or a variety of flowers to smell. If you're from the Midlands or visiting anytime soon, then there are lots of places to visit in this blog post.
Find local walks with parking - I know a few walks that are local to us that go through pretty fields at certain times of the year (straw, rapeseed etc.), which also have parking near-by. Finding a few locations near to you is ideal if you suddenly find the sun shining or your children fancy a run around and you want to take some photos. You can park up next to the field, have fun, take some photos and be home within half an hour.
Do your research - Pinterest is my best friend, so if there's a certain type of photo or place we are visiting I will usually have a browse through Pinterest for inspiration. It's also such a good place to find pretty streets or areas to visit if you're going on holiday. I find that having an idea prior to taking the photo makes getting the right images so much easier and quicker.
Get the lighting right - This goes hand in hand with doing your research, depending on the kind of photo you want to take will depend on where or the kind of lighting you want. It's a well known fact that natural lighting beats artificial lighting hands down, but during these darker winter months that can be tricky. If I have certain photos I need to take I'll check the weather for the week and identify the best day to take them. Personally I prefer a sunny yet cloudy day for most photos because the lighting isn't so harsh and therefore the shadows are more subtle. However, if we are visiting woodland or a lake etc. then bright sunshine is the best because it means you can capture the beautiful light coming through the trees/reflecting off the lake. It just depends what kind of picture you like to capture. Weather is probably the hardest part of taking photos for me because you just can plan too far ahead and it can be pretty temperamental. Sometimes you just have to work with what you've got or try another day.
Play around with angles - Getting down to their level gives you an insight into their world or I like to angle the camera upwards slightly too. This makes them seem bigger and you can capture beautiful blue skies in the same image. Birdseye view is another fun angle to try out, as you get the view your children have. Moving around when taking the photos will help work out which style of photos you like the most in certain situations.
Take lots of pictures - It probably goes without saying, but take lots and lots of photos. The more you take the more likely you are to get a nice one and then I'll go through and delete the ones I don't like so I don't fill endless SD cards.
Consider the time of day - This is closely linked to getting the lighting right, but it can also make a huge difference when you take photos within the day. I love chasing sunrises and sunsets because they are so effortless to photograph and the silhouette effect is fun to play with. Golden hour, just before the sunsets, is also a beautiful time of the day to take photos in because it creates an almost halo around heads and provides a beautiful golden glow.
Get dressed last minute - I don't know about your children, but mine have an incredible ability to look like they've been dragged through a hedge backwards within minutes of getting dressed. Trying to capture them without sick stains, muddy knees or snotty noses isn't the easiest, but I will always get them ready last in an attempt to keep them looking presentable. If I'm taking photos at home then it's easy because I'll get them dressed and go straight into taking them, but if we're out then I'll be careful what foods they're eating (no bright orange carrot sticks or tomato based sauces!) and keep a pack of wipes on hand. I've learnt to love muddy knees though; they can't be helped and are simply part of a day out with children.
Bubbles - If all else fails, the weather is rubbish, you have grumpy children and the light is fading then bring out the bubbles! They have the ability to put smiles on children's faces, make anywhere look magical and reflect even the smallest amount of light. We have a few bubble machines, which are ideal if you're on your own taking the photos, otherwise a good old bubble wand works perfectly.
Capturing beautiful moments is such a special part of parenting for me and it means that we will have them to look on forever more.
What are your top tips for capturing candid moments?
Feel free to leave a comment - I love reading every single one :)
Helen x
I've linked this blog post up with Blogger Club UK.
Such beautiful photos, I definitely need these tips, especially getting to ground level x
ReplyDeleteSome great tips here - we don't go on many countryside walks simply because we live in the inner city but I do love to try and get to at least one country house a year. Of course by the time we get there via public transport kids tend to look a bit bedraggled!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips I really love the one about different angles they really do make all the difference. Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteI love your photography you always find such beautiful spots so it's lovely of you to share some of your tips here for others.
ReplyDeleteSome fabulous tips! I wish I had a proper camera, I rely heavily on my phone and then filters if necessary but would be great to take more professional looking shots! Sim x
ReplyDeleteThese are all great tips. I suffer here in winter with such painful fingers fiddling with the proper camera as at -10 plus wind it's hard work taking photos outdoors!!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips photography is something I've been trying to work on recently so this is super helpful. Love the idea of bubbles x
ReplyDeleteYou've featured gorgeous pictures and your tips are spot on. Golden hour is my favourite time of day for photography.
ReplyDeleteI am so bad at taking pictures but definitely loved your tips, I do love taking local walks and capturing candid pictures
ReplyDeleteThanks for these tips. Your photos are so beautiful. I hardly take any photos at home because our house is so dark and in desperate need of renovation - so most of our photos are outdoors. Love the tip about the bubbles.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips. I can find it so hard to get great quality photos of my 3 year old as he is always on the go and hardly sits still.
ReplyDeleteLove these tips here. Taking loads of photos does help.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips, beautiful photos too. I really want to get better at taking photos of my children and plan on practising a lot when we are on holiday next month xx
ReplyDeleteYou have some beautiful pictures. I love playing around with angles, it can make a photo look much more interesting
ReplyDeleteYou've taken some gorgeous pictures here Helen. I really need to get my camera out more often!
ReplyDeleteI love the golden hour and totally agree about the angles and getting down on their level!
ReplyDeleteStunning shots. I need to get out with my camera and play with levels.
ReplyDeleteLovely tips, I love getting down at their level to take photos. It's like looking through their eyes
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I am a new lover of photography and am definitely getting better but I usually have to take elventybillion pictures before I get the right one. My other half, however, has never studied any photography and gets beautiful photos every time just with his phone! It's infuriating!! #bloggerclubUK
ReplyDeleteSuch beautifull photographs :) What camera do you use? When I started blogging 6 years ago, I bought a basic bridge camera. It was naff, I have way more success with my Samsung phone now! I would still love a DSLR though. My inlaws are music photographers, and their shots are mind blowing x
ReplyDeleteBest post
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