Kids and their moves by Gabi Bucker

Taking photos of children is one of the most amusing and challenging tasks in photography. Although I no longer work in photography, I still have this dilemma because I’m a mom. The mother who does not have a million pictures of her children in her camera roll may cast the first stone, and I’m no different! I take photos of my baby’s looks, her new faces, with food all over her face, her first step, and so on. However, taking photos of children, especially after they turn one, is not an easy task. They just won’t stop, won’t stand still. They want to explore the world, run and play. The last thing they are worried about is their doting mother, who is trying to capture all of their new moves.

With this in mind, ever since Cecília (my little precious one) turned one I’ve been trying and testing new techniques to take more spontaneous photos of real-life moments, as opposed to away from fabricated photo that look like too professional or studio-esque.

The first key element in kids’ photographing: they are the most important element of the photo. So, don’t disturb them while they are playing to ask them to strike a pose. If you have to, lay on the floor, roll on the floor, get on your knees, dance with the kids. Giving them instructions will only result in photos filled with funny and cry faces.

The second element is that the position of your camera is extremely important. Pictures of kids, taken by adults, tend to have a top-down angle, which flattens the picture and has a not-so-cool result. The ideal angle is the kid’s’ height level, which maintains the proportions of the photograph.

The third element usually works well here at home: I sing the songs Cecília likes to hear or encourage her to play and have fun. There’s a small detail to this: most of the times I have to secretly take the pictures  if she sees the camera or the phone pointing at her, the picture won’t happen! She won’t smile, she won’t be funny, she won’t do anything.

The forth element is: my gosh, pictures with kids moving! There is no greater challenge than this in children’s photography. When kids won’t stop moving and you have a rudimentary knowledge of photography, all you’ll end up with is blurred photos. Because we usually use our phones to take pictures, my tip is that youto take several shots in a row, holding your phone firmly and using automatic focus. Some phones already have that tool, but if your phone does not have it, you can download apps that let you take a sequence of up to 12 photos. It is worth taking the time to do a little research and choose the app that best suits your needs.

I particularly love to photograph the looks and special moments of my baby, and she is moving 100% of the time. In cases like this, you just need to be patient and loving and keep in mind that the moment is more special than the photograph, and everything will be just fine.

If you have any tips on children’s photography, do share them with us @airbrush_br, deal?

Want to see some of my photography work with my baby? They are @gabibucker and – plus you’ll get my other tips! ❤

XOXO and see you next time!