Children's Photography

I was lucky enough to do my first children's photo shoot with an adorable almost one-year-old little girl name Aubrey. She was the cutest thing I'd ever seen and she was a pleasure to be able to photograph. Her photography location was Memorial Garden - Concord, NC.

Taking photographs of children is a challenge and there are a few rules that are just a given that you must follow:

1. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting dirty.

With Aubrey, I was done on the ground with her shooting photos, standing in water to get the right shot, and being anywhere and everywhere I needed to be to get some great shots of her.

2. Always have the parent or guardian bring the child's favorite toy and/or snack to combat fussiness.

You can see Aubrey brought her doll for comfort

3. Always be prepared to capture the little moments.

Sometimes its hard to get a child to pose, but if you stand back and let the child interact with the setting, you can usually snap the cutest moments.

4. If you don't know the child, get to know the child.

Photographers do not always know the child or the family they are shooting. So, it is important to build a trust with the child before shooting. Luckily, I am related to Aubrey and have seen her at the few family functions she has attended in her short life. But, I still let her get to know me again. I helped her walk around, talked to her, and really encouraged her to smile.

5. Make the photo shoot fun!

You've already seen the photo of Aubrey splashing in the water, but I was also fortunate enough to snap some other photos of her for her 1st Birthday! We set up a mock birthday party set on the stone seating/entrance to Memorial Garden.

Being a photographer and photographing children takes a lot of patience, time management, and the ability to take each moment at a time. You never know when you're going to get the child that's going to do all the wrong things during the session, but as a photographer, you need to know all the right things to do in order to stay cool and get the photos.

Starting with my five tips for successful children's photography, you can mold those tips with your own experiences and attitude to get the most out of photography your children or the children of others.