Taking Great Photos that are Fun...Kid Edition

First a huge disclaimer here.

I am not a photographer by profession or training.  I am just a farm chick who happens to carry her camera everywhere...and I mean everywhere!

But since I've been asked by many of you about my camera along with how I get some of my shots I thought I would do a post about taking photos that are fun and memorable.

I thought I would start with Children since I have a lot of them!

Farmer Kim's top tips for getting fun photos of kids

Get Down!  I rarely take pics from a standing position especially of my kids.

This photo of Baby Boy yelling at the chickens wouldn't have been nearly as interesting if I had been standing...I would have gotten more of the top of his head and not the great profile that I see here. I would not have captured his expression either.

If I had been above Sweet Girl in this shot I would have missed her cute smile as it was tucked down and under...as kids so often do. 

My next tip is...Keep it Real

When I am an old woman I do not want to look back on a bunch of photos of my kids all dressed up, lined up, and perfect.  Because my real kids are never that way except on the way out the door to church...and since we're always running late I never have time for pictures then!

I want to have pictures of my kids they way they really were.

 

Even if it means dirt and snot!

No perfect hair here...

While we're keeping it real my next tip is Shoot the Ordinary...it is easy to remember to take pics of your daughter's ballet recital or the first day of school.  I challenge you take  your camera out and document things that you see your kids do every day.

 

Coloring...

 

 

Playing outside  

 

 
Helping with dinner.

Walking next door to grandma's 

Next is a tip that I have to remind myself of every time I get out the camera.  It is More Than Just Faces...yes my kids have sweet adorable faces but those aren't the only parts that I want to remember!

 

Sometimes its a baby hand reaching out to touch an egg...

 

Or little hands and boots in the dirt...

 

Or bare little girl feet! 

Next is Capture Emotion...one of the great things about kids is their wide range of and quickly changing emotions. As much as I love it when my kids are all sweet and happy, that is not a clear snapshot of what they are a lot of the time...

Sometimes they're a little scared

 

Or mad...

Or sad

Or... 

Or completely and utterly ticked off!  
   

My almost last tip for today is Try Some Different...experiment with different angles or different lighting, some way of taking a shot that is new or unique.

Look through and old barrel...

 

Take a picture through a bubble...

 
Or a window...

 
Try looking up at your kids.

Or straight down...

 

So here is my last tip...my very best tip of all time.

Always Have Your Camera With You.

You will never ever get that great shot of your kids if you don't have your camera at hand...seriously take it with you to the mailbox, the garden, the kitchen, even the bathroom.  Mine is almost an extension of my arm at this point, sometimes it annoys my bigger kids but they have learned that this is just the way it is around here.  If you don't want it preserved for all time then you better not do it around mom!  Cause if she can she will photograph it!

So for a quick recap of my photography tips for taking great shots of kids...

Get Down

Keep It Real

Shoot the Ordinary

More than Just Faces

Try Something Different

Always Have Your Camera

I would LOVE to hear any tips you have to share with us about taking pictures of children.  Lay 'em on me and I'll update this post later with a list from you!