Tips to take better children's photos

All of us digital camera owners keep clicking away and take pictures of our children.  Here are some tips that will make those photos better.

Use natural light, not flash

Use natural light as much as possible. Take pictures of children when outside, or open the window curtains and let light fall on the child. Or turn on more of the flourescent lights (white colored) at home.

Most point-and-shoot cameras do not have great flashes and even if used, they are never as good as natural light. They also create problems like red eye. 

If you have really good light, you should turn the flash off.  Turning the flash off also lets you take pictures continuously as you do not have to wait for the flash to recharge.

Watch the background and shadows

Don't take a picture of your child when he is standing in front of a source of light like a lamp or a window or a door. When outdoors, don't take pictures facing the sun. The child's face will be very dark as seen in the picture below. Keep these light sources to the side or such that the light falls on your child rather than on your camera.

Similarly, watch the shadows. If you are standing between a room light and the child, your shadow may fall on them.

Get down to the child's level

A lot of us tend to take pictures while standing up when children are below us. This tends to make their heads look bigger and their bodies smaller. Sit down or squat when taking pictures. Go down to the child's level. The child will appear with their natural physical proportions and you will have better looking photos.

Take lots of pictures

Children move a lot. So don't worry about the perfect moment. Take lots of pictures. Most point-and-shoot digital cameras allow you to take a number of pictures in a row while Digital SLRs allow even more. Turning off the Flash really helps you take pictures at shorter intervals.

Check on the web about how quickly your camera can take pictures continuously. When taking pictures of children, a faster camera is always better than one with more megapixels. If you have a digital SLR, buy a fast lens. It will be the best investment you make.

Put your child off-center

Many of us tend to take the picture with the child in the middle of the picture. For portraits where the child is the major focus, this will work. But when you are taking the picture of the child near a monument or a special location, let the child be at the left or right side of the picture.

But how do you keep the child in focus because most cameras tend to focus on the middle?

Here is the trick. Point the camera at the child and push the button about halfway down. The camera's autofocus will focus itself on the child.  Then keep the button pressed halfway (this is important, as taking your finger off will cause the camera to refocus) and swing the camera to the left or right so the child is now at the side, and then push the button all the way down. Presto. Well framed pictures, where the child is in focus while your landmark is also not hidden behind the child.

Try different angles and backgrounds

Try some extreme angles. Besides getting down on the floor, try taking pictures at various angles. You will get some interesting perspectives.

Use different background colours. When travelling, if you see a brightly coloured wall, take a picture of your child in front of it.

Don't miss the moment. Keep your camera handy

This is very important. With children, the moment for picture taking does not last long. Keep your camera handy in a place that you can reach (and that your children cannot). If you keep it under lock and key and then miss the moment, you will have fewer memories captured on photo.

Don't forget to enjoy the moment

This is not a photography tip per se. But if you are taking pictures of your child at a school event, don't focus only on taking photographs. Take the time to watch the event.

Organize and backup your precious photos

Google's Picasa is an excellent software for organizing all your photographs.

Don't forget to backup your photos. You don't want to lose your little ones photographs when your computer crashes. Picasa lets you post your photos online. You can also use other good and free services like Flickr, Photobucket, Zoomr etc.,

Any photo pros out there? Do you have more tips? Please add them to the comments.