Secrets to Capturing the Perfect Photo of Your Child

Even though kids make the cutest faces and have glowing smiles, it’s not always easy to capture those happy moments in a photo. Just when you think you have a terrific shot, you grab your camera, line up your child in the viewfinder and the moment is gone. Most of childhood’s priceless moments never make it into a photo. With a little planning and useful strategies, you can get that illusive photograph of your smiling children.

• Kneel down or sit on the floor to get at eye level with your children, rather than setting them up on a chair or standing in a corner of the room. Your children will feel more at ease if you are not looming over them telling them to “smile.” Snap the shots while your kids interact with you for some awesome, natural smiles.
• Look through your camera’s viewfinder before taking the photograph. It is surprising what shows up in a photo that you didn’t even notice was there before. An extension cord, a jacket tossed on a chair, shoes in the corner or an empty soda bottle on a table can all ruin the perfect photo. Looking through the viewfinder gives you a better idea of exactly what will show up in your photograph.
• Close up photographs of your kids can be stunning because the focus of the picture is strictly on your child. The room or surrounding area do not distract from the glowing face of your child.
• Enjoy the photo taking session. Try not to force a certain pose on your children but make it fun instead. Your children’s smiles will be more natural if you get them laughing. Try telling a joke or reminding them of something funny that had them all laughing.
• Check your camera for special settings. Most digital cameras feature settings for low light, sunlight, action shots, portraits and even snow settings. Be sure to use these for the best results.

After you take plenty of shots, choose the one that shows the real personality of your kids. For the best quality, have the photo printed at a professional photo-printing store, rather than printing it from your computer. You’ll be amazed at the vivid color quality when the photo is printed professionally. You can even request the paper have a canvas look, so the photo looks like a painting. Add a mat and a frame and you will have a professional looking photograph that you took yourself.