Photographing children can often be a challenge. I know this first hand, I’m a photographer and more often than not I find myself working entirely too hard to get a decent photo of my two.
Let them be kids
Start by putting them in a situation that will let them play and have fun. If they’re engaged in an activity the photos will be more natural and you’ll have a lot more fun taking them. For the image of my daughter Paige above we went out into a field on my uncle’s property in Lake Wenatchee. It was a beautiful fall day and I just let her and her brother run around the field picking wild flowers.
Use a long lens
Using a zoom lens lets you capture the action while filing the frame. If I had a short lens on my camera for the image of Paige above I wouldn’t have gotten that shot. She was running right towards me and would have run me over before I was able to get that composition. Try to fill your frame with your children and their activities. Using a long lens makes this easier to do. It also keeps you from directing. 
Don’t Direct
About that whole direction thing.. Don’t do it. Let them play and don’t ask them to pose for the camera. Put them in the situation you want to photograph and let them interact with their surroundings, not you.
I do this with my couples all the time. You’ll come away with more natural photos that draw you into the image and actually give you the feeling of capturing a moment in time rather than looking at a posed ‘cheese’ type of portrait.
That should get you started. If you’d like more recommendations on gear or the technical aspects of photographing kids please feel free to ask in the comments and I’ll write a follow up article next week to answer your questions. That is, if anyone other than photographers and my mom read my blog….
Hi mom!
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Anna modeled a dress picked by Liz Navarro – the Gown Diva from the selection at La Belle Reve in Bellevue. Makeup by Erin Skipley of Bellatrix Studio
Last night I shot the first annual Get Hitched Give Hope event at the recently remodeled Arctic Club Hotel in downtown Seattle. If you weren’t able to attend, check out the slide show above to see what you missed!
The dome room at the hotel is great! It made for an awesome space for their event. My good friend Jason Parker was there with his quartet busting out some sweet jazz to liven up the room and so many of my friends and colleagues were either donating their time volunteering at the event or displaying their craft as vendors. The incredible Steven Moore provided the massive floral center pieces and Kate McElwee setup a photo booth complete with props near the bar. (Check out her blog for some sweet snaps.) Movin 92.5’s Brooke and Monti from The Ladies Room were there to MC.
On first count I hear they earned $24,000 for breast cancer last night! Way to go ladies!
The founders:
Michelle Loretta – Mmm Paper
Eliza Truitt – Eliza Truitt Photography
Barbie Hull – Barbie Hull Photography
Michelle Engvall – Married & More With Michelle
Kelly Simants – Sweet Pea Events
Laurel McConnell – Laurel McConnell Photography
I’m certain you’ll be able to read more about GHGH on their blogs in the next day or two.
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Meagan & Tom were married at Seattle Golf Club last month on a beautiful fall day in Seattle. I had guest photographer Jack Young cover their event for me. Thanks Jack!
Check out their slide show! Their full event will be posted online shortly. For more images and Jack’s take on the day, check out his blog.
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Jacqueline and Tim were married at Holy Rosary church in West Seattle last month followed by a reception at the Washington Athletic Club in downtown Seattle.
Blue skies and sunshine are a rarity for Seattle in October! We took advantage of the weather and headed over to a local park in West Seattle and then down to Alki beach for a few portraits before driving downtown to start the reception.
My good friend Susie Hamidi came along and second shot with me which was awesome, of course. Thanks Susie!
Jacqueline and Tim, Susie and I had so much fun with you both! Thank you for having us be a part of your day! I can’t wait to have you both back into the studio to get started on your album!
Salon: Robert Leonard Salon
Reception: Washington Athletic Club
Cake: Washington Athletic Club
Linens: BBJ Linen
Flowers: Fena Flowers
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Paige In The Snow
The weather around Seattle has been pretty wild lately. In my neighborhood we had over a foot and a half of snow over Christmas and we were completely snowed in for a week! The kids loved it though! What once was white has now melted off and now we’re dealing with major flooding! Here are a few images from the Snohomish Valley that I took 2 days ago while checking out the flood waters.
The Snohomish river has breached it’s banks and several dikes protecting many houses from damage. Roads all over the valley are covered with water and are impassible. My Garmin GPS was very unhappy with me for not listening to it’s directions to get me home that evening. It seemed that every road I tried was covered over with water when you’d get to the low valley floor.
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