Photographing Children

Most of you probably know that my greatest passion is photographing children, mostly my own children. They are the sole reason I picked up a camera three and a half years ago and learnt how to use it. In Marrakesh (you can see our trip here) I was lucky to get lots of captures of the boys that love, and I’ve noticed since I’ve been frequently asked about how I do it with them, and whether they are really as good as they appear when it comes to being photographed. So I thought I’d shed a little light on how it really works for us! Here are my top tips for photographing kids, and hopefully preventing them from becoming either camera shy, or too aware of the camera.

The truth is my children are really good and I’m very lucky, but I do believe this is down to the approach I have taken with them over being photographed. I have never made a huge deal of the camera, or making them do things, and now they barely realise I’m there. When we got back from Marrakesh and were looking at the photos together on my computer, my eldest was surprised how many there were and exclaimed “but you only took one photo whilst we were there!”

There was in reality obviously more than one occasion when we went out with the camera, but it was approached in the way “come on boys, the light is lovely, shall we go and explore the gardens a bit?” I had actually spent a few days simply location spotting, visualising the shots, even taking practise shots with no one in them to see how they looked on camera. Then when we went out together I would subtley make sure they were dressed in something that worked, and then suggest to them they go and look at things.

“Ooh that gate looks good, what can you see through there?”

“look boys there’s oranges on the tree! Can you reach them? Show me the orange!”

You get the idea! You will never hear me say “smile at the camera”. It doesn’t work with my kids, and in my experience it doesn’t work with other peoples kids either. My children are completely incapable of smiling on demand (you should see their school photos!), the best I will get is a weird grimace, and then they feel awkward and shy and don’t want to do any more.

little boy in lavender field, family portraiture and photographing children

Our trip to this lavender field wasn’t actually all smiles from the outset. One child had an accident in the car, the other promptly got stung by a bee! This could have been a complete nightmare situation, but once everything had calmed down the kids soon started to run around and play. They had a blast here! He was running up this path of his own accord when I called him with my camera at the ready. He actually stopped and wiggled his bum at me! He then turned and laughed, and it’s my favourite picture of him ever

In fact when I have photographed other families, I often come across children who have been trained to smile at the camera, and I will spend the first half hour of the shoot trying to actually get them to forget I’m there. Don’t get me wrong, some kids are brilliant at pulling out a natural looking smile, but I want to capture those natural, fleeting moments – glances between family members, a little smile at a sibling, or the happiness at enjoying a game in the fresh air.

A great way to distract children who grin as soon as they see a camera is to engage them in other things. Ask them to look for sticks, feathers or flowers. When they find one they will more than likely be thrilled and hold it up to show you. Be ready for that moment! Ask them to blow dandelions, or let a ladybird craw on their arms. Be prepared to put the camera down for a few minutes and get involved! Hunt around with them, and judge when they are happy and engaged in their task and then pick up your camera again. If you’re struggling to see anything around to engage with, look for birds, interesting clouds, point out something for them to look at. Of course you need to also keep the light and the backdrop in mind, but do it carefully. Stay on the right side of them, and suggest “let’s look over here” to keep them in the spot you like.

little boys in a field of grass, family portraiture and photographing children

The boys were actually reluctant to walk through this long grass. I left my camera behind and carried them each through and we all sat together for a few minutes. Once they were happy and chatting with each other I went back to my camera and started shooting. They were picking the grass and giggling together in no time

Sometimes direct eye contact is pure magic, and there’s no denying that. If you want to really get that straight down the lens, windows to the soul shot, be the person behind the camera! Don’t say to a child “look at the camera”, but rather “look at me”, or even better don’t ask them to, just try and engage them. Sometimes I have to work quite hard for this, I come out from behind the camera and chat, tell jokes, or threaten a tickle if needs be! When they do smile, they are engaging with me, not the camera, and that smile is so much more genuine. Having another adult to help with this can be great too. Take your partner or a friend along and ask them to stand at you shoulder and do something funny.

little boy holding tulips, family photography and children portraiture

I often ask him to point to a certain flower when I take these pictures, it helps him to not mind carrying a big bunch of flowers! In this instant I told him I was coming to tickle him. Always works a treat with him!

Sometimes you will find the perfect location, you can visualise the shot and you know it’s a winner, but your child just does not fancy going over there no matter how hard you try and persuade then it looks like fun. They are just not always tempted to go on their own, so be prepared to go with them! I have a very handy little tripod for my iPhone with a bluetooth remote which I always carry with me if I suspect occasions like this will arise. I also usually carry either my full size tripod or my little gorillapod which is brilliant for wrapping around a fence post, tree, or pretty much anything. I’ve used sun loungers on the beach in Dubai with this one, and even set it up in the buggy. You can see my full guide to getting in the frame and using a tripod and self timer here.

little boy holding daisies, photographing children and family portraiture

One of my favourite pictures ever, my youngest was only 2 when this was taken. I hid behind my camera, he hid behind the flowers, and we played boo!

A very simple way of anchoring kids to that perfect spot is to find something for them to sit on. Once they are sitting they are obviously more likely to stay there for a little while! Tree roots, steps or walls in front of buildings, or even just your coat or cardigan if you didn’t bring a blanket are handy for getting them to perch for a minute. Once they are there you can distract them by chatting as you edge back and lift up your camera. My kids usually begin to interact with each other at this point, and I get can well out of way and let it happen. If you’re photographing a single child, they won’t want to feel left, so use a shorter lens and stay nearby.

Here are my top tips for photographing children

  1. Never tell them to smile at the camera!
  2. Plan locations, envisage your shots and angles for minimum time wasting.
  3. Make it fun, you are exploring together rather than going on a photoshoot.
  4. Be prepared to jump in the shot with them. They will more than likely love the whole thing if you are playing too.
  5. Always dress them appropriately. A shoot will very quickly go to pot if kids are cold or have wet feet. It’s a complete waste of time.
  6. Don’t force them. If they are really not enjoying it, leave it for another day.
  7. Try and step back and let them be. Keep your direction subtle, and as much as possible let it be natural.
  8. If your child does grin at the camera all the time, try and make up games to distract them and help them forget the camera is there.
  9. Take bribes! If necessary a jelly bean will go a very long way. They will more than likely be happy to “walk over there” with a fistful of sweeties.
  10. Most importantly, be patient! It can take time, a lot of time!

I’d love to hear your tips too for photographing children, what works for you?

Hannah xx

two little boys by a beach hut, family portraiture and photographing children

If I can persuade them to get in position, I can usually stand back at let their natural interactions with each take over

two little boys and a blue door. Family portraiture and children photography

Bribes in action 🙂

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21 Comments

  • Reply Ruby March 12, 2017 at 10:45 am

    Love this Hannah. My kids don’t do ‘smile for the camera’ either and I’m a natural shooter so works for me! But the odd time I’d love a full on face shot, one that works for me…..can you see that spider in my lens, they think it’s hilarious! I tell them the shutter is him moving! My littlest loves it! For now at least ;o) Ruby xx

    • Reply Hannah Argyle March 14, 2017 at 10:52 am

      Thanks so much Ruby! I absolutely love your tip about the spider, that’s such a cute one! They do like to make us work fir it don’t they 🙂 xx

  • Reply Victoria March 12, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    A fantastic past Hannah, so many great tips! Lucky for me my youngest isn’t a fan of eye contact, so 95% off my shots of her are looking at anything but the camera 🙂 But she’s not a fan of her photo being taken and often only allows me one or two shots, her sister is the complete opposite and poses for every shot. They do love to challenge us!

    • Reply Hannah Argyle March 14, 2017 at 10:53 am

      Aw thank you Victoria! They really do love to keep us on our toes! I think every child is so different, but one thing that nearly always seems to work is to let them be natural and not force it too much! xx

  • Reply Julia March 12, 2017 at 3:16 pm

    This is a great post, love the bum wiggle (obviously) and use quite a few of the same tricks as you too! Anna loves a role play, a ‘how would the little princess do that’ or something similar. Twirl like a ballerina, you know the sort of thing! I guess tuning in to what makes the small folk tick is part of the key to a great photo of them isn’t it?

    • Reply Hannah Argyle March 14, 2017 at 10:55 am

      Thank you Julia! Role play is a great one too, and I think you’re right, it’s just finding a way to help them feel not too conspicuous or like its too much pressure or stress! xx

  • Reply Rhoda March 12, 2017 at 4:40 pm

    Really helpful! Most of my struggles are getting them to stay in one spot so I’ll be trying your suggestions (maybe even on the hubby too who hates appearing in a photo!) 😄 Also nice to know the true story behind the photos, always gives you hope! xx

    • Reply Hannah Argyle March 14, 2017 at 10:56 am

      Thank you Rhoda! Anchoring them is a brilliant trick. It’s even worth taking a little chair or stool with you if needs be, but certainly finding them something to perch on and giving them something in their hands like grass or a flower is a great way to keep them still for a few minutes and distract them xx

  • Reply Jules March 12, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    Such a brilliant, brilliant post! Going to share this in my Currently Coveting post for March – hope that’s okay! x

    • Reply Hannah Argyle March 14, 2017 at 10:50 am

      Aw Jules thank you, you’ve absolutely made my day! xxx

  • Reply Maria March 15, 2017 at 2:28 pm

    I love this! 🙂 I photograph my kid all the time. But I really do not like these “stand up now smile” photos so I usually photograph him from a distance while he is in action. However – what has happened – he ASKS me if we can go out and take some photos. And he loves taking pictures himself as well. And he is not yet 4 years old. Haha 🙂

    • Reply Hannah Argyle March 16, 2017 at 9:37 am

      Thanks so much Maria! That’s so lovely that he enjoys going out to take photos with you! You’ve obviously done a great job at making it fun for him. They much prefer to able to play naturally than have the camera in their face all the time I find xx

  • Reply Maureen March 22, 2017 at 5:50 pm

    great tips! (specially the be patient one, good to remember for myself) Thanks!

    • Reply Hannah Argyle March 25, 2017 at 2:53 pm

      Thanks so much Maureen! I think that one is the hardest one 😉 x

  • Reply Jessica May 28, 2017 at 5:22 pm

    Goodness, what pearls of wisdom here Hannah, thank you so much! 😊😘

    • Reply Hannah Argyle June 3, 2017 at 7:25 am

      Thank you Jessica I’m so glad you found it useful! x

  • Reply Currently Coveting: June '17 - this is jules - a British lifestyle & motherhood blog June 13, 2017 at 9:48 am

    […] her post in full {here}. It’s bloody […]

  • Reply Hannah June 13, 2017 at 5:45 pm

    This post is BRILLIANT, Hannah! Thank you for being so honest and for sharing your tips and tricks. I love photographing my Oscar, but lately I’ve noticed that he instantly notices when I pick up my camera, even if I try to be subtle, and stops what he is doing to come over and ‘help!’ He’s only 20 months, so it’s understandable, but it makes getting a candid shot of him harder and harder!

    Hannah xxx

    • Reply Hannah Argyle June 14, 2017 at 11:55 am

      Thank you so much Hannah! It’s funny how quickly they become aware of what’s going on isn’t it? That phase will no doubt pass too and when he’s a bit older you’ll be able to engage him in fun games and get him running around outside. That’s when the fun starts! xx

  • Reply Emilee Bradford April 26, 2018 at 3:22 pm

    These tips are amazing, thank you so much for sharing! I also absolutely adore the colours and tones in your photos!
    Emilee xx
    @frolicandfro

    • Reply Hannah Argyle May 2, 2018 at 6:38 pm

      Thank you so much Emilee! xx

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