5 top tips for photographing children

How to photograph children and create magical images in 5 easy steps.

School children waiting to walk to Downing Street and hand in a petition with Surfers Against Sewage.

Photographing children might sound like a nightmare to some, but it can be just as fun and exciting as it is challenging. Whatever you shoot, be it lifestyle, food, interiors, or products... the majority of professional photographers will at some point end up working with children. Most recently for me, it came on a press / documentary project with environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage, delivering a very serious petition to No. 10 Downing Street, so believe me when I say the opportunity really can crop up at any moment.

We spend a lot of time as photographers trying to tease perfection out of our subjects, looking for the best angle, the crucial moment, the lighting set up that brings everything to life. For me, at least, children’s photography throws a lot of that out the window and replaces it with something much simpler and joyful; bringing the same wonder and excitement with which kids view the world to an adult audience. Read on for my top tips on achieving just that..

Have a chat and be prepared to get a little silly.

It’s been a little while since I was 3ft tall, and sometimes its easy to forget that the world, whilst new, vibrant and exciting, can be  intimidating to kids. Especially when there’s a big, tall stranger pointing a camera in their face. Start every interaction without the camera, find out a bit about them, what they like to do, what they’ve done that day, they may be small but more often than not they’ve got big personalities. The key here is to get on their wavelength, asking about things they’re really interested in and not falling into the trap of sounding like a teacher or grandparent asking about their day at school. Ask about their favourite animal or their best jokes, and don’t be afraid to join in with any silliness. Children are going to play, they’re going to get distracted and dance around, getting on board with this not only makes you much less intimidating, but helps you connect with who they are, something that will come across in the final images.

School children giving performance during petition hand in with Surfers Against Sewage

Get down on their level.

Another way to seem less scary is to literally get down on their level. An added benefit of this is the unique perspective you end up with. Throughout the photo shoot, you want to avoid looking down on children as much as possible. Instead, shoot looking upwards or at their eye level. This isn’t an angle you see often and it helps communicate that childlike wonder and excitement to your audience, almost as if they’re seeing the world from a kids eyes. You also never know what you might miss because you’ve got your head stuck in the clouds up at adult height.

Don’t pose them.

Good luck if you even try. Even if its studio photography, children rarely want to sit still long enough to pose for a photo. You’ll get much more natural images and capture who they are as (little) people far better letting them do their thing, albeit with a little direction. If there’s a specific shot that you need that they aren’t getting, simply come back to it. They’re also much less likely to get bored and tired that way (something which almost certainly spells game over). The best children’s photography is full of smiles and excitement, and those big, natural ear to ear grins are only going to be unleashed when your subject is comfortable and enjoying themselves.

School children holding ocean activist pins in front of No. 10 Downing Street after handing in Surfers Against Sewage petition

Use natural light.

Just like strict posing guides, extensive lighting set ups are going to make children tense up. The object here is natural photography and an enjoyable photo shoot for everyone involved. Sometimes a couple of lights can’t be helped, but wherever possible try and limit it to ambient sources or run the risk of looking like you’re taking school headshots – if its not a fond memory for you, don’t expect them to love it either. Taking your shoot out of the studio gives you much more light to work with and gives kids a big, open space they won’t feel penned in by. True, there’ll be more distractions but  that just means more opportunities to capture genuine interactions.

Shoot wide open.

Or at least wider than you usually do. For a lot of us, detail is king. Why else do we spend thousands on cameras with the latest sensors and the sharpest glass... When it comes to photographing children, we’re much more interested in capturing emotion than we are detail. Nothing gives that sense of beauty and magic like a soft, blended background. Portrait pros will tell you that 85mm is the golden length, but personally I like to shoot on a telephoto (Canon’s 70-200mm f2.8 III to be precise) giving myself a bit of range to work with, flexibility when kids run off, and the chance to pick out subjects against gorgeously soft backgrounds.

Young child learning to forage - shot on telephoto lens for compression and bokeh

Most importantly? Enjoy it!

It might be out of your wheelhouse but its good to be pushed outside your comfort zone every now and then. Focussing on feeling is also a refreshing break away from the hunt for perfection, once you’re in the spirit of it, it can be a wholly rewarding experience to photograph without the constraints you might put on yourself in your other work. Above all else, I guarantee that if you can let go, get silly, and find a way to connect, you’ll go from seeing them as little terrors to your new best friends in no time.

See more children’s photography here!