How many times as a parent have you photographed your children only to find that the pictures turn out to be out of focus, overexposed or blurred? Another very common problem I see a lot of is that the child appears as a tiny dot in an image, usually in the dead center of the frame.

These are problems that are easily fixed with just a little know how. Here are a few tips to help improve the photographs you take of your child. The same rules apply for babies also.

The only thing I do want to briefly mention from the instruction manual is shutter speeds. We all know there are not too many children in this world who will sit perfectly still when their picture is being taken. Unless you happen to like blurred pictures you will have to use a fast shutter speed on your camera. If you don’t have time to look at anything else this will really help improve your pictures. This usually comes under the action/sports setting of your camera.

As a parent you are in the ideal situation to photograph your child as they truly are. You see them on the good and the bad days. You see the smiles and the sulks. There are a few things that you can do to help improve the composition of your pictures and capture these moments.

Get down to your child’s level. Most parents will take pictures of their children standing up looking down at them. Instead, try sitting down on the floor. Don’t be afraid to fill the frame. A lot of the time you will see a lot of background and very little child. By cutting out the background and filling the frame with your child you automatically make it a better and stronger picture.

The rule of thirds is a very easy way to improve your composition. Imagine two horizontal lines and two vertical lines in the viewfinder of your camera. At the points where the lines meet is where you should aim to have your point of interest. In this case, the child. This is a universal rule which all pros use.

Try not to force your child to smile. Smiling pictures are lovely but only if genuine. Instead just wait for the moment. Usually you can see what a child is likely to do, so all you have to do is be ready with camera in hand. Film is cheap and you can delete pictures from a digital so don’t be afraid to take plenty of pictures. It is very rare you will get the shot you were after at the first attempt.

Practise makes perfect. Study the images you take. Which ones have problems and why. Which ones did you not like? Could you do better next time? Ask yourself these questions every time and before long you should be seeing an improvement.

If possible, don’t use flash. Instead use a faster film or change to a higher ISO setting on your digital camera. Flash unless used correctly can ruin an otherwise nice image. Natural light is perfect for children so don’t be afraid to turn the flash off and experiment.

Oh yes, last but not least……………Don’t forget to have a read of your camera manual.

by Yvonne Ellis of Yvonne Ellis Photography