How to Take Better Photos of Children

From holiday gatherings to summer vacations and family reunions—not to mention birthday parties and sporting events, there are lots of occasions for photographing your children. It's not always easy to corral them for photos, however. Photographing kids can be a special challenge, not to mention frustrating, because they have such short attention spans and they are so active. Here are a few handy tips to keep in mind when photographing kids.

• Let kids be kids. You'll get better pictures by photographing them at play, either with toys or each other. If you want to take a family portrait, let them play a little first to burn some energy.
  
  
• To help get your ideal shots, try involving a toy, a pet or another person in your photos to distract and engage the child. It will help them forget about the camera. Get down on the child's level to get a better view of them.
  
  
• For better candid shots use your zoom setting so you and the camera will be further away from the child and less of a distraction.
  
  
• Photograph children at their level or even try extreme angles. It may help to sit on the floor as you shoot. Get some extreme close-ups. You can end up with some really interesting shots.
  
  
• Now is not the time to pull out all the bells and whistles. Keep your equipment simple so you are not fiddling with your camera while you miss a great shot.
  
  
• If possible, shoot outdoors to avoid red eye. If the weather is freezing and you must be indoors, use a bounce flash if your camera offers this option. Shoot in a brightly lit room if possible. Red eye can be fixed if necessary, using your photo editing software, but it's nice to avoid it in the first place if you can.
  
  
• If you have done your digital camera homework, you will have bought a camera that has a fairly fast recycle time (how long it takes before it's ready to take another picture).
  
  

• Take lots of pictures. Remember, the beauty of digital is you only need to print the photos you love.

• Be patient, try to keep things moving and have fun. You know what short attention spans kids have!