Photographing my own kids - help (not technical) pls

Raptor Mike

Raptor Mike

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Mike
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I don't do portraits but I've started to try to get into it a little because I thought with all my kit I've got I don't take enough of my kids who are 6 and twins at 3.

Now I'm not the most patient person in the world and what starts as taking a nice photo of the kids ends up with me in a big stress because they don't do what they're told. The moist recent attempt was today. Theyhad their faces painted in town so when we got home I set up my little setup then all sat nicely on the sofa, so that's a good start, and to start I had nice smiles. But one of the twins just would not look at me. I have a cheap brolly set up to put my speedlight on and she kept looking at that, obviously waiting for the flash. When I told her to look at me she said she was but clearly wasn't. I tied to be patient but she just wouldnt look at me and soon smiles from the other too had worn off and I got stressed.

So my question is how do you get them to pose before they get bored and give fake smiles and, most importantly, how do you keep calm. I really don't want the kids to dread me taking photos of them and vice versa, but I dread it already.

Thanks, Mike
 
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Just to add. My wife is a childminder and she says its much easier working with other peoples children than your own. Is that true with photography? If not then you child toggers are superstars lol
 
You cannot force anything. What I do is forget about the brolly and set up two speedlights on stands bouncing off of the ceiling crossing the room or one off of a wall. If you fiddle about you'll find a nice enough light that allows you to shoot more or less anywhere in the room with freedom. The light will never be as good, but it'll be stress free.

David Hobby has a post on this here...
 
When i ask my children to pose all i ever get is forced smiles. I have a couple of canvas hung in the house and they are from outdoors with no staging where the children look most "like themselves" i.e. natural. I think candids capture personality which is what i would want to see in the photo.

I took a shot of my two sons (3 and 6) and their 1 year old cousin in my back yard during summer last year. The background was cluttered but they were all together, looking at the camera. My 3yr old was pulling a cheeky face, the 6yr old very natural and the 1yr old sticking his tongue out. I processed it as a high contrast black and white and printed to a large canvas for their gran. Although it's not ideal technically, it's had nothing but good comments because it shows their personailties.
 
Thank you for the very helpful advice. @The23rdman that's a really helpful article. At the moment I only have one EX430 II but I will play around.

However I was after a posed photo so that the three of them were together and you could see the face painting. So does the same principle apply, reflecting of the ceiling?

I think a big flashy brolly to a 3 year old is going to attract the attention of a 3 year old more than boring daddy lol, so I will take your advice Dean and leave it out.
 
Don't bother!

With the poses and forced smiles and all the tantrums that can bring.

Children look much better when they are being natural - playing at home or outdoors or with their friends etc.

I have literally thousands of photos of my grand nieces and nephews taken in a myriad of different situations.

I have used 3 different cameras over 10 years to picture them in all their many moods and at all ages so now I have a complete record of them (although of course it never is complete)

So just let them play and laugh and cry and run and do all the things that children do and they will soon forget the camera and just get on with their lives while you take all the pictures you can.

And occasionally you may capture a shot that really shows you how beautiful your children are.

Many of my indoor photographs are taken with the Canon 50mm f1.8 using ISOs up to 3200 and using Neat Image to de-noise them.
 
So if I want the three of them together give them something to play with together. But in the case of today three separate photos of the playing to get their face painting would've been fine?
 
Raptor Mike said:
So if I want the three of them together give them something to play with together. But in the case of today three separate photos of the playing to get their face painting would've been fine?
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That depends on your kids - whatever they're happy with.

Mine are so used to me having a camera they barely notice it now - which is another reason for taking loads of pics of them and always carrying your camera with you.
.
 
Individually they can do some lovely poses with massive smiles (as it happens the one who was looking at the brolly is normally the best at this). Its just getting the 'perfect' photo of them together, which as suggested I will give up trying to stage, at least until the twins are older.
 
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This is all something I can empathise with. I have an almost 4yo & almost 1yo, both of which are highly active kids and are very difficult to keep sitting still. I have found for more posed shots the eldest will respond to rewards if she lets me take pictures she gets a treat and is getting quite used to it now. However these opportunities are few & far between but I have managed to take some lovely shots of them interacting, which in my humble opinion make for far more personal shots, ones that you look back at over the years and go ahh! My wife put it best, I'm constantly looking to improve the technical/professional look of my pictures, where in reality she just loves to see the photos of our two girls looking lovely! Take the pictures that make you remember them! Ultimately that's the whole point, whether they are posed or not.
 
I have two kids, 9 and 4.

They can get a little fed up of me taking their photo, escpecially if we are out for a walk or something and they have more exciting things to be getting on with. A little trick is to invite along one of their friends and take shots of them. The friend wont be used to having their photo taken and will enjoy it. I found that as soon as my kids noticed me taking photos of a friend they wanted to get involved - maybe jealousy, maybe to show off that they know what to do. Anyway, just a little trick that sometimes works.
 
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I tried to make them feel involved as part of the process. I often give them a remote trigger (frequently turned off). I show them the pics, get them to have fun. I engage with them "away from the topic of taking pics" So I'll talk about school, get them to tell me a joke, be generally silly.

My fave recent pic is of me and my daughter laughing - we were messing around with the remote trigger and joking with my other daughter.


Sophia and Daddy Selfie! Hi Lite Test by Sir SR, on Flickr

A final thought is never force it - if they're not "up for it". Best to try again later (you/they will only get frustrated and scupper future shoots!)

Bottom line - make it fun! I have offered the occasional bribe - a sweet/tv programme (mainly for poses of kids together!)

Good Luck!
 
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Hahahaha. Well this had put a huge smile on my face. You and I sound much the same (patience). And I also have twins aged 3 1/2. I feel your pain ;)

I've all but given up with anything posed. The best shots ive had have been taken without them realising. I think I have amaz even 3-4 shots of them together that are any good. How on earth you deal with twins AND a 6 year old is beyond me, hats off to you (and your wife)!

Have to say I have much more luck with my little fuji x100s than my xt1.

Good luck!
 
So recently I tried taking some shots of my niece, she is coming to three, and my son was 12 months at the time. My son obviously doesn't understand being told to sit still and smile. The niece, unfortunately when she is told to smile, is nothing like natural. For one of the shots, we put a paddling pool in the room, filled it with balls, and my wife and Sister In Law threw balls at the children. It made them laugh, they looked at the person throwing the balls, and they appeared natural and happy. Using the flash, it freezes the action, however, I should admit that I didn't get more than 3 shots of the two of them together that I would blow up to be on the wall. However, it did give lots of singles looking natural.
(Paddling pool = £3, balls = £3 for 100, got two sets, from ASDA)

Edit: Well maybe not throw the balls at the children :)
 
I spotted these on Etsy - you pop them over your lens and it gives the children something to look at for a little while at least! You'd still need to be quick though! I agree with the others - make it part of a fun afternoon out where there are other activities and then get them to sit together for a couple of shots then move on to do more fun stuff and so on. This way you could probably get about five or six shots of the three of them together without them getting bored.
 
Photograph them all individually in front of the same back ground, then merge them all together in PS ;)
 
coldpenguin said:
So recently I tried taking some shots of my niece, she is coming to three, and my son was 12 months at the time. My son obviously doesn't understand being told to sit still and smile. The niece, unfortunately when she is told to smile, is nothing like natural. For one of the shots, we put a paddling pool in the room, filled it with balls, and my wife and Sister In Law threw balls at the children. It made them laugh, they looked at the person throwing the balls, and they appeared natural and happy. Using the flash, it freezes the action, however, I should admit that I didn't get more than 3 shots of the two of them together that I would blow up to be on the wall. However, it did give lots of singles looking natural.
(Paddling pool = £3, balls = £3 for 100, got two sets, from ASDA)

Edit: Well maybe not throw the balls at the children :)
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That's a good idea, we've already got all the stuff too
 
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