Tips for getting lovely, natural photos of your kids by Andrea Thomson
“I am delighted to introduce the latest instalment for this series, another of Edinburgh’s brilliant photographers, who has tailored her advice to those with kids. Let me hand over to her now.
Andrea Thomson’s ability to capture beautiful, memorable portraits is matched by her warmth and generosity and her list of photography awards.” - Jo, Founder of 20 Photos
Andrea’s Advice
Your children are super cute. So why’s it so difficult to get a few decent photos of them? While I don’t do a lot of formal posing when I’m photographing families (I do a little once everyone is warmed up!) I have my own bag of tricks I draw from to get some beautiful, fun photos. Here are a few:
1/ Timing is everything.
Have your children been fed and watered, napped and changed? When I’m photographing families, I always ask what the ideal time of day is for them. It can make all the difference – in photos and in life!
2/ Don’t say cheese. Ever.
Kids have some sort of inner-programming to make the worst gurning face when prompted to ‘say cheese’. So just don’t. If you’re aiming to get a good posed shot, do what you can to put your child at ease and get a giggle out of them (see tip 7!).
“Put your child at ease and get a giggle out of them”
3/ Get down, mama.
And dada, too. To get the best photos, ideally you want to be eye level with your children – it’s easier to engage with them and it’s arguably the best, or at least the most common, angle for a portrait. If your kids are still pretty little that means squatting down even if they’re on the move. You’ll get photos and a full-body workout – win/win!
A crouch makes all the difference!
4/ Let them do their thing.
And the thing children do best is playing! Hide and seek, a game of tig or a football all work well outside, or sometimes I get kids to show me how fast they can run and end up with some super sweet photos as they’re headed towards me, rosy-cheeked and laughing.
“Let them do their thing”
5/ Tap into your everyday life.
Eating breakfast, building dens, even playing on ipads – to me, capturing this stuff is just as important as getting a posed portrait. Your life is gorgeous, even the mundane bits, and someday you’ll want to remember all of it even if it doesn’t feel like that now. Try sneaking around ninja-style and taking some photos when your kids are unaware – often these are the best ones!
“ Your life is gorgeous, even the mundane bits, and someday you’ll want to remember all of it”
6/ Look into the light.
I didn’t want this to get too technical (I’ve left that to other photogs writing blog posts for 20 photos!), but light is pretty important. A great trick to see where the light is best is to hold your hand up in front of you with your palm facing away. As you move your arm/hand around, you can see where your hand looks brighter or more shadowy. Pop your subject in the bright spot and voila! That said, you can also try facing right into the sun when photographing your kids – if it doesn’t work, delete it!
Left - The light behind the subject; Middle - 90 degrees on to the light; Right - The subject facing the light
7/ Don’t be afraid of a bribe.
I try to steer clear of bribery when photographing other people’s children for obvious reasons, but sometimes a small bribe goes a long way with my own kids if I need a quick snap for grandma’s birthday card. It might go a long way with your kids, too.
A small bribe for a photo for granny’s birthday card can go a long way.
8/ The more you take, the more you’ll have.
You don’t need any fancy equipment, and most of us have a great camera on us at all times – our glorious phones. The more you do anything the better you’ll get at it, so whip that phone out and get snapping! (Or, you can always get in touch with me!)
"The more you do anything the better you’ll get at it”
About Andrea
Andrea Thomson mostly photographs people – families, small businesses and smallish weddings – but for fun she photographs most things! She’s won the Portrait of Britain Award twice, has been short- and long-listed in the Scottish Portrait Awards many times over the years and has had her work in publications including The Guardian, The Times, Grazia and Vogue.
Andrea is from the US but has made Edinburgh her forever home. Her favourite thing of all things is spending time with her boys and their puppy Mabel, followed closely by taking photos or, ideally, all of those at the same time! She’s available for any portraiture work you might be after and is keen to get some more editorial work under her belt.
Also in this series
Rachel Hein’s photo thoughts - Rachel’s skill at capturing beautiful moments between people shines through here with her generous advice.
Kenny Gordon’s tips - showcasing advice on wild weather, getting up early and just asking!
Mike Guest’s advice - featuring his glorious water and surf work - his advice focuses on joy, photographing friends and seizing the moment.
Or begin at the very beginning of this series- join James Robertson’s photo strategies in his ultracycling work - looking at different kinds of portraiture, the importance of patience and lateral thinking!