Take Professional Photos Of Your Kids—At Home!

Author: Tina L. Scott

It’s that time of year again! Time for the annual school photos of your kids—and of course they want extras to exchange with their friends. But what if you forgot to budget for this expense?

Have no fear! If you have a digital camera; a personal computer; and some professional quality photo paper, you can create professional quality photos of your kids that will rival the prints taken at school—all in the comfort of your own home.

Ever been inside a professional photographer’s studio or been privy
to a fancy photo shoot? It’s often enlightening to learn that even the most0
glamorous photos are shot in a decidedly practical and unglamorous
setting. You don’t need fancy backgrounds and settings to create
gorgeous pictures... Just a few good techniques.

Here are 9 tips and techniques to turn your amateur photography skills into professional quality portraits.

Tip 1 - Use solid backdrops for indoor photos.

In some cases, you’ll want to incorporate an existing background into your photos. In other cases, hanging a piece of background fabric behind your subject is a great technique to get that professional look—and it’s so easy!

Large pieces of solid colored fabric, or paper, make great backdrops for photo shoots! Try using yards of inexpensive fabric from your local discount store—or use a solid colored sheet off your bed! Hang or drape the fabric (or paper) behind your subject, covering distracting background noise.

Tip 2 - Use natural landscapes for outdoor photos.

Mother Nature provides some of the most beautiful backdrops—absolutely free! Take your kids to a local park, or head out into your backyard, to get some great shots.

Try posing your kids in front of a flower bed, tree, or bush—natural green backgrounds and tree bark are great. You can even lean them against a tree trunk, or sit them near a stream.

Tip 3 - Use the sun's natural light.

One of the things photo studios have for indoor shots that you don’t is professional gear: lighting, reflectors, and meters to adjust the lighting properly; but even professional photographers will tell you that natural lighting is best. Good lighting is critical to good photos.

Indoor lighting can be harsh and unpredictable, casting shadows or unnatural glows on your kids. Take photos using the sun's natural light.

Take photos outoodrs in the early morning or late afternoon for the best natural light; avoiding the harsh mid-day sun.

Tip 4 - Take advantage of cloudy days.

Overcast days are perfect days for outdoor photos. You’ll get much better results because the sun's brightness won't wash out your subject!

Tip 5 - Shoot near windows.

For the best indoor photos, the key is to utilize soft lighting from the side of the subject—using natural light.

An open doorway, a porch with windows, a room with lots of windows, or a garage (with the garage door open) are great locations for indoor photo shoots.

Tip 6 - Take a lot of pictures.

Professional photographers don’t rely on their ability to capture the perfect photo in the first shot.

Instead they shoot hundreds of photos hoping that the law of odds will work in their favor and somewhere in all those shots the perfect photo will emerge.

Tip 7 - Avoid using the on-camera flash.

To capture the effects of natural lighting, turn off the automatic flash and capture the scene as it really exists—without the glare of the flash.

The flash is most useful when shooting a subject in a darkened setting. Using the flash illuminates the area so the photo doesn’t look like it was taken in the dark at all.

Tip 8 - Get close to your subject.

What’s the first thing you notice in a school photo of your child? Your child, right?

Your child should be the most prominent thing in the photo. Go in tight to capture your child’s engaging smile and forget all the background extras. Fill the frame with your child's face, upper body, or whole body.

Tip 9 - Use high quality photo paper.

If you don't plan on using a professional printer for your photos, be sure to print your photos on paper that's created specifically for your type of printer (inkjet or laser) using the highest quality printing option available. It's the only way to get the absolute best results.