How to Create Frame Worthy Pictures of Your Kids at Home

With the weather turning colder, we’re spending more time inside. I’m one of those lazy moms that hates bundling the kids up only for them to cry as soon as I’ve shut the door behind us that they have to go potty. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

So we like to play games, do crafts, watch movies, and play inside.

I still have a fierce love for my DSLR and photos of my rugrats, so when the sun sets early in the day during these colder months I open the curtains and let as much natural light pour in while I can.

It’s a great idea to position your subject (child) as close to the natural light source (window) as possible. Of course, no one wants smeared fingerprints on their glass but there’s no reward without risk! I usually end up tempting kiddos with a new toy or treat to get them to stay in one general spot. Don’t be surprised if your model only cooperates for 4 minutes! Take a break and try to come back to it. No one likes a cranky photographer OR model!

White balance indoors can be tricky. A lot of the time here my photos have an orangey tint to them. This can be fixed by changing my white balance settings from auto to ‘outdoors” or even “incandescent.” Take a few test shots and see if your white balance is a little off. 

Sometimes a little flash is needed because you don’t have enough light or the shadows it creates are too harsh. I really love using my Light Scoop for indoor photos as you get a pretty even light and no red-eye results. I’ve also noticed it cuts down on glare that sometimes appears on eyeglasses. An external flash is great too, because you can bounce the light off walls and ceilings and control the power of the flash. I’ve seen tutorials on making a diffuser for your flash using a milk jug!

Take a look at the background in your photos too. As moms I think it’s easy to see past the scattered toys and other random objects your toddler has placed (ever so carefully, of course! -_^) but to make frame-worthy photos try to clean up the background of the shot, even if it lasts for 3 minutes!