Photographing Children - Have Fun

As many of you know, I am very passionate about preserving memories and photography.  I thought it would be fun to run a little series on photographing children. I am not a professional photographer...not by a long shot by I absolutely LOVE photographing children...not just my children...any children.  There is something so special and magical about capturing little moments of childhood.  

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing my best friends adorable children.  I had a blast and they did an amazing job.   In addition to hanging out with these two cuties and my best friend, I was also fortunate to do the shoot on one of the most beautiful golf courses in Minnesota with a new lens in hand.  It couldn't get much better than this.

I think there are a number of key things that you can do when photographing children to make it much more enjoyable for everybody.  When I am photographing children, my main focus is to have fun with it.  I try not to have any major expectations and just enjoy the process of it all.  Kids are so spontaneous and energetic.  You never know what each moment will bring.  I have found out that the more stressed I am about getting the perfect shot, the less likely they are going to respond to me.  I try to be extremely laid back and follow the lead of the kids.  If they are relaxed, the chances of capturing something genuine is much more likely than if they feel they need to perform for the camera.  Here are some of the photos from that night...

I brought a few props along to use as a means of distracting them if they were needed.  This little guy fell in love with this stool.  I had real toys along and yet, this stool was IT for him.  He carried it all over the golf course and he decided where he wanted it placed.  It was a win-win...he liked deciding where the stool should go and I was able to capture a beautiful little boy who was enjoying the process.

During this shoot, Olivia was on the move.  I was sweating shortly into it trying to keep up with her and decided that I probably wasn't going to get a closeup of her face because she was in constant motion.  I didn't try to force the issue....I just went with the flow.  The we stopped by a local farm to see horses and sheep.  She was captivated with the animals and the opportunity was there to snap away.  I adore these sweet shots of her.  Once again, I just followed the lead of the kids and went with it.

Olivia's mom brought out some bubbles later and Olivia couldn't get enough of them.  They both did such an awesome job and I had so much fun.

I think it is so important when working with children to really be cognizant of what you can do to put children at ease.  Playfulness, patience and willingness to follow their lead can go a long way when capturing these precious personalities.    Thank you Kris and family for such a fun evening!