How to take beautiful pictures of your children

     You do not have to be a good photographer to take good pictures of your children.  There are a few tips that you can learn, and it will make a drastic difference in the quality of your pictures.  If ever there was a person who took horrible pictures, it would be this author.  However, after attending a class by photographers J.D. and Doreen Howell, even I was able to manage some beautiful photographs.  

     So, here are some of the tips that were gleaned from this class:

1.  Even professional photographers go for a 10 to 1 ratio. 

      In other words,  out of every ten pictures you take, you are doing well if one of them looks good.  That first tip was liberating.  Take out that digital camera and keep clicking at the scene you are trying to capture until you get a few pictures that you think you might like, then erase the rest.

2. Look at your picture and see what the focus is. 

      If you take a picture of your baby, but all you notice is the bright yellow duck , then you might want to crop the photo to refocus the attention on your child.

3. Take what you have and work with it.

     If you have a photo that has a beautiful expression on your child's face, but their clothing is garish,  they have chocolate stains dripping down their front , or pimples are an issue, then fix it.  You can crop out the part of their clothing that is stained, or you can try changing the picture to sepia tone or a black and white effect.  These simple changes can do a world of good for the picture and help the viewer focus on your child's beauty and not the other distracting things going on in the picture.

4. A different angle can produce a better picture.

     Get down on your child's level. Crouch down to catch your toddlers grin.  Get on your belly to see the expression on your baby's face, and then take the picture from that angle.  This simple change can really help your picture focus on your child's face.

5. A personal tip : Distract a child who is prone to "cheese" for the camera by asking them to do something such as look up at the airplane in the sky, then quickly start clicking.  The resulting pictures will capture some of your child's unique personality.

     You can check out websites like CVS to download free programs to your computer that allow you to do things like crop or add a black and white effect.  You can also just go to a local store that has photo kiosks like Meijer or Walgreens, and make the changes there, no computer or downloads required.

     Check out the slide show to see several before and after pictures, and to get an idea of what you can do with a simple point and click digital camera.

     You can also see the beautiful photography of J.D. and Doreen at this site.