8 Tips for Taking the Best Photos of Your Kids

We always have a camera in our hands these days, which makes it super easy to snap social media-destined pics of our kids when they’re doing something cute, funny, or outrageous. But what about when you want to take professional-looking photos to share with Grandma and Grandpa, print for your gallery wall, or add to your photo album? Sarah Merians is CEO and founder of Sarah Merians Photography & Video Company, an NYC-based boutique photography studio that specializes in wedding, mitzvah, child, and family photography. Here, she shares eight tips to help you take better photos of your children. You can make photoshoots spontaneous and fun, play tricks with lighting, capture candids—but the main goal is for both you and your kids to have fun!

Rule one: Make photoshoots fun for your kids

There’s nothing better than capturing your child’s genuine smile or catching him mid-laugh full of personality. So, Merians recommends making the experience more playful and less like a posed, portrait experience. Tickle your child, have her dance or jump to get the sillies flowing, play peekaboo, make silly noises (we guarantee fart sounds will unleash the giggles!), and tell jokes.

Avoid taking photos in the middle of the day outside.

Digital cameras and smartphones are really sensitive to light, so taking photos in low-light situations (either earlier or later in the day) is better than at high noon or in broad light.

Keep the light on the your kids' faces.

“I’m forever watching people with their iPhones in a restaurant or at a party and they’re standing against the window taking a picture, and I know the photo isn’t going to be good,” says Merians, who has been a photographer for more than 30 years. That’s why she recommends treating the light in the environment like a flash—keeping the light behind you.

Use light and simple backgrounds to your advantage.

While there is a time and place for photos in the latest Instagram pop-up, stick to clean, simple, and light backgrounds for classic photos of your child. (And make sure there’s nothing in the background that looks like it’s coming out of his head!) Choose a background that will make the child stand out, Merians suggests, and stay away from darker backgrounds, which tend to go black in pictures.