Play over posing...ideas for fun, candid photos of your children How hard do you think photographing your kids is? Do you struggle to get those gorgeous genuine smiles, all your kids looking the right way and happy?
Engaging kids in fun activities is always going to be the best way to get candid, genuine smiles and laughter. By doing so you will capture their personality and their smiles.
I love the idea of playing over posing... to photograph children while they are doing something fun and enjoyable rather than asking a child to pose and force a smile.
I adore shooting my own kids (which is not always easy), but I have found some tricks that create really nice candid moments to photograph. These images usually turn out to be my favourites! Here is a list of prompts and activities that you can use to help engage your children so that you can photograph them without them noticing. You'll all have more fun that way! Print this out and check the ones you want to try! BEING SILLY
□ Any type of jumping. □ Ask the kids to do their silliest face, then do one. □ Having a parent/sibling pretend to bother you by bonking you on the head or tickling you. □ Ask the kids what a dinosaur says...when they roar, you scream and run away. □ Pretend to do silly, illogical things like eating grass or leaves. Then pretend to stick them to your forehead. □ Ask the kids to give you a high five and then pretend to fall over. □ Ask a funny member of the family to stand behind you and do their thing. □ Repeat after me, “I…LOVE…eating…big…hairy…feet! (toes, cheese, etc) □ Calling boys, girl names and vice versa. □ Pretend to eat rocks or leaves while saying, “Mmmm, I’m SO hungry!!!” GAMES AND FUN ACTIVITIES
□ Tell the family to tickle each other. □ Tell a funny joke. □ Ask one of the children to tell a funny joke. □ Use puppets, toys etc to make them laugh. □ Play peekaboo with babies. □ Tell the children to have a staring contest (wait for the moment they fall into giggles). □ Tell the kids that there is a frog/fairy inside your camera and that if they watch closely, it’ll wink at them. □ Use reverse psychology and tell them not to smile. □ Say "Are you laughing at me? You better not be laughing at me!" □ Ask them to show you how much they love you. □ Encourage a big group hug. □ Tell the siblings to "pretend to like each other!"
ENERGETIC ACTIVITIES
□ Ring around the Rosie. □ Jumping together as high as you can. □ Twirling. □ Run towards me as fast as you can. □ Wave a flag.
□ Fly a kite.
□ Have an adult (safely) swing the child or children.
QUIET ACTIVITIES
□ Collect leaves/rocks/sticks.
□ Looking at bugs. □ Stacking rocks/sticks. □ Picking flowers. □ Tossing rocks in the water. □ Invite the child to ride on your “magic carpet” (a blanket/hammock).
With huge thanks to Victoria Sturdy for writing this article for Busy Brains Activity Packs. Victoria Sturdy is a Professional Newborn and Baby Photographer based in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire Victoria's Biography
I am a wife to an incredible husband and mother of 4 children, 3 boys and one girl. Surprisingly, I didn’t pick up a DSLR camera until 2016, when my husband bought me the camera for Christmas and the main aim was to try and take some nice photos of the family My two close friends were due their babies very soon after and the rest is history. I wanted to be able to take better quality pictures of my children. I became obsessed! I love the creative and artistic aspect of photography and the fact that I am able to express my ideas and visions through a lens and make other people’s visions come to life brings me so much joy! I would describe my photography style as colourful, vibrant, and timeless. I like to create images that can be printed and displayed in clients’ homes all year round. I think my style is very fun and upbeat. I'm a very fun person and I don't mind making fun of myself to get those precious giggles and genuine smiles Find out more or contact Victoria through her... Website: https://victoriasturdy.co.uk/ (currently under construction) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriasturdyphotography/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriasturdyphotography/