How to take beautiful photographs of your children

This week in Austin has been March madness aka spring break week for my kiddos. Which means I get to chill (haha) solo with three rambunctious and strong-willed tiny people who think my greatest skills are snack making and remote control finding. To keep myself sane this week I have been photographing our neighborhood adventures and editing after bed which has been so much fun!

Some tips for photographing your kiddos:

1. Symmetry and movement - these are everywhere on playgrounds!

Look for symmetry and movement - my monkeys love swinging so there is no end of opportunity to photograph them without drawing attention to myself.

2. Faceless portraits can capture childhood exploration

Grab a faceless shot that captures childhood exploration! I love the storytelling of shots that capture how small they are now - my older kids would never try to get in this bubble as they are already too big, but the baby is just the right size.

3. Perspective!

Change up your perspective and look at the wonder of the playground from their point of view. This is my 5 year old catching my 1 year old on the slide (her favorite clearly!) and I didn't want to edit him out to really see that this is from near a child's perspective and also capture a bit of the relationship between these two.

4. Light

I admit it - I'm obsessed with sunflares and golden light - but my kids don't always want to go to the playground early in the morning. Use playstructures or trees to block some more direct light so that you still capture the golden feel of the day even with stronger directional light.

5. Get on their level

I know my son feels like a big kid when he scales the climbing structures - I can capture him looking like a giant when I get down to the level of my littlest. I love how she sees her big brother and how he feels so accomplished and grown up!