3 Tips to Get Kids Smiling for Photos!

I've done many photo sessions and have many many tricks for getting smiles out of kids. Today I'm going to share with you 3 of my top tips for getting kiddos to show their beautiful beaming smiles!

Pick comfy clothes! - If the clothes you picked are new with tags, remove the tags! Tags are itchy! If there is anything uncomfortable about the outfit they will be distracted and have a much shorter attention span for the shoot.
Go someplace fun! - Kids are kids. Let them be kids. Go somewhere that they are familiar with, and comfortable, like the park! Then let them have fun!
Keep things positive! - Whatever you do... do not under any circumstances give the kid an ultimatum. What do you think happens if you threaten a kid with something like, "Smile, or NO McDonalds", or "Smile, or I'll spank your rear end!". Yep... that will stop smiles for the rest of the session. Instead, lets re-direct the kids to something else - maybe they just need a breather from the camera - which is totally okay! Or, you could start a fun activity, or give them something fun to play with. I'm not saying that if the child is mis-behaving that you should drop any form of structure that you have in place - I'm just saying that an ultimatum of smile or else is going to flatten your chances of success!

There we have it! I hope these tips can help you take better photos of your kiddos!

-Tim

Comments

So You Want To Be A Photographer?

Are you interested in becoming a photographer? Do you want to turn your passion for creating images into a source of income to support yourself and your family? Tim Walck Photography will soon be offering online courses in photography training, and portrait business training. Each course will span 4-8 weeks. Every student who participates in all classes will gain the tools necessary to succeed in the wedding and portrait photography business. ---- I started my photography business with only $2,000, which I had saved from working as a tele-marker, social services provider, and substitute teacher, all while being a full time graduate student at Mansfield University. That was enough to buy a camera, lens, and flash. I poured my heart and soul into photography, read everything I could get my hands on, and began to build my business. After 3 short years of juggling multiple jobs, and being a photographer on the side, I made the leap into phot...

The Struggle with Senior Portraits Posing for Guys

If you search Pinterest for senior photos, overwhelmingly, girls show up. Tons and tons of examples of beautiful senior girls in flowery fields, on the town, in a stream. There are a few exceptions (and some really great ones) for guys, but it made me stop and think about the struggle with taking senior photos of boys. Sure, many of them aren't really into it, but rather having photos done because mom said so. Many aren't used to having such undivided and direct attention showered their way. Also, the teenage years can be awkward for boys. Where do you put your hands? How do you look like you're not enjoying it too much? What if you're not into sports? The struggle is real... but fixable. Here are our some of our best senior portraits and tips for making them feel comfortable : #1. Talk to them and wait for just the right moment for the "natural smile". #2. Photograph them in places the...

Black and White - Conversion VS Infrared, See the Difference.

Digital Black and white photography can be created through many techniques. You could use the Instagram app and click a pre-made filter, use a more advanced software program like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, convert it directly inside your camera body, screw on an infrared filter to the front of your lens and convert it to black and white post production, or convert a camera to only capture infrared light. Today I'm just going to explore my two favorite methods: 1) Using an infrared converted camera. 2) Converting images in Adobe Lightroom. So what is the difference between the two methods? A color image that is converted to black and white allows you lots of control over each color channel. This is handy if you want to make different colors stand out by being brightened or darkened in your final black and white image. An image that is captured from infrared light has much less control over colors as the only colors captured are tones of red. Ho...

Walck Portraits Blog

Search This Blog