If you are like me...the only TRUE and REAL reason you ultimately own a "big girl/boy" camera is because you want to take amazing pictures of your own kids!

You didn't invest money in that camera body or fancy lenses so that you could just look cool while you were on vacation...you aren't necessarily passionate about taking pictures of bumblebees on flowers...I would venture to say that you are aiming your focal points towards the plates of food you eat every day...

NOPE...you aren't in this "photography thing" for any of that...

You want to document the lives of your kids...of your families...in an AWEsome way!

If you are like me, you want scrapbooks filled with pictures that your kids swoon over and want to look through over and over again...you want your facebook albums and instagram feeds to look like a magazine shoot so that you can just stare at your family and count your blessings over and over again!

We LOVE our families...and if we're honest, we DO like PRETTY things...we want our pictures to look PRETTY...to be AWESOME!

The first step on your way to reaching that goal, is learning your camera/equipment! If you follow this blog, it means you've probably already attended a Snapshop and have learned those foundational concepts...it's not just about snapping the shutter button at the right time...it's about exposure, metering correctly, focal points, aperture/shutterspeed/ISO and determining how you will use the settings together to create the image you envision...

These, and a whole lot more, are all things we cover in a Snapshop #1 or Basic Mentoring class.
We also spend a considerable amount of time on composition and photo recipes (Snapshop Grads, check out your booklet for examples)

For the purpose of this post, I'd like to elaborate just a tad more on some tips for photographing your own kids .

1. THINK COMPOSITION | Have your kids interact with one another...tickle, tell a joke, push on the swing, pull the wagon, play cards, throw a snowball...whatever you do, make it fun...don't make them hold hands if that isn't their thing...that's the quickest way to make that photo go downhill...remember we're documenting LIFE...make it REAL and FUN for them!

2. ANTICIPATE THEIR NEXT MOVE. This can be difficult, especially for beginners...but before you get out there and start clicking away, take a moment to take inventory...be aware of your surroundings and try to determine what your kids are going to do...are they just sitting there examining a lady bug...then you know what your settings can be without getting blur...Are they going to start jumping and running?  if so, be prepared with what you know about shutterspeed and your light source.  Have your camera ready before the moment takes place if you are able.

3. DON'T FEEL ENTITLED TO A GOOD SHOT | RELAX   This is a hard one and one that I struggle with...I feel that when I take the time to 'set up' a shot, doggone it those kids should cooperate and I should get a perfect image!!!  (insert stomping of feet) Does anyone else ever feel this way?  yes, well...it's gotta stop...we aren't entitled to anything just because we happen to SEE something in our minds eye...and I've had to let that go thousands of times...because that is yet another way to ruin photography for my kids when I make the experience all about the IMAGE instead of the MOMENT!

4. SHOOT MANY FRAMES IN A MOMENT  We now live in the digital age...so, by all means USE IT...you don't have to pay for rolls and rolls of film anymore...you can snap away...so do it....keep that trigger finger happy...you are bound to get something in there as you are first learning how to utilize all your settings in manual AND keep all those other things in a line as well.
Plus, you end up getting some pretty sweet timelines...

5. FOCUS ON THEIR EYES If you want a good focal point, go for the eye...toggle to that eyeball, pull those elbows in, steady yourself against the table or a tree...go for the shot!!
6. PHOTOGRAPH YOUR OWN KIDS OFTEN | LIKE A LOT, A LOT
I know many of you are rolling your eyes at this...the thing is, the more your kids are comfortable with you, with a camera in your hands, the more they will begin to just ignore that fact and continue in their moments...which is EXACTLY what you want them to do.  People ask me all the time if I have my kids trained...well, in a sense I do...they really just don't care that my camera is with me...it's ALWAYS with me...they are now to the age where THEY ask to carry it and take pictures...it's just part of our life.

7. PLAN A MINI SESSION  | UNDER 10 MINUTES
We've talked about being IN the moment, but I understand that you want SOME pictures of them looking at you...of their darling expressions...So, start planning...be prepared...Set up an area near a good light source ...then just ask your kiddo to come and have a seat in that spot...(you'll already know your settings because you'll have tested it with a stuffed animal or something) All you need to do now is engage them...get them talking about their favorite things, tell a joke, make a funny face, sing a song...All the while you are snapping away...do NOT make them stay longer than 5-7 minutes...just see what happens...it's great practice...and I think you'll be surprised...

Here's one I did back in 2012 with my youngest...
8. LISTEN TO THEM | Something I've learned (which HAS been a learning curve being the talkative person that I am) is that sometimes it's just better to listen...I have my own ideas, I KNOW what I want in a picture...but, that means NOTHING if I haven't connected with my girls...Sometimes it means letting THEM set something up and just going with it...LISTENING to their ideas and incorporating that into what I "see" as well.