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Hey there! Happy Friday! :)

My name is Kelly, and I'm a wife, momma, and photographer. I blog over at Life at 319.

Abigail asked me to blog some tip for photographing your children, so that's exactly what I'm going to do!

A little background info: When I first got my "nice camera" I had absolutely no intention on turning my hobby into a business. I bought an DSLR camera just to learn how to take better photos, and had high hopes of figuring it out before I had kids. After all, what momma doesn't want to take a million photos of her kid?! Anyways, just a few months later I found out I was pregnant with my son. Once he was born, my love for photography took off. For the most part, I'm self taught. It was a lot of trial and error, and my son was always my subject, much to his dismay. I kept testing out different settings, and just figuring things out. After a while some friend started asking me to photograph their kids, and it just kind of snow balled from there. Now I'm the owner of Kelly Gibbs Photography, and am loving every minute of it!

Since my love for photography started with my own son, I wanted to offer you 5 tips for taking better photos of your children:

1. Treat yourself. Buy yourself a DSLR camera. I know they can be pricey, but if you have a point and shoot, you know that it doesn't move quick enough to capture your busy 2 year old. Most likely, you have a lot of blurry photos. A DSLR camera's shutter is so much faster, and will be perfect for photographing your busy kids!


2. Get OUT of automatic mode. This is not easy, but will make your photos so much better. There are lots of things you have to know for shooting in manual mode. White balance, aperture, ISO, the list goes on. But I promise you, making the jump from automatic to manual will save your life! Ok, maybe not save your life, but it will make your photos sharper, more vibrant, and just gorgeous. I would strongly recommend the book, Mamarazzi to help understand your camera better. That book was so helpful when I was starting out, and breaks down the different components of shooting in manual.


2.Go all natural, baby! That's right, turn off that flash and find yourself some natural light. I am 100% a natural light photographer. If I need to take a photo indoors, I find a window. If it's night time and there is no light, I bump up that ISO. Don't have much natural light in your home? That's ok! Go get yourself a prime lens. I recommend the 35mm f/1.8 to get started. This baby is great in low light, and is a steal at $200!


3. Search for the sun! When photographing your kids outdoors, make sure to look at where the sun is. If it's the middle of the day, and the sun is intense, don't take a photo of your child in direct sun. Trust me, no one wants blown out faces! Instead, find a shady spot. Under a tree and next to a building are great places. If you're lucky, and the sun is close to setting, by all means put your kids in the gorgeous, golden sun. You won't be sorry.


5. Make memories. A lot of parents I talk to really struggle with getting their kids in the "perfect pose" for a photo. Take the stress away, and pull out your camera during the most mundane part of your day. Photograph your little boy shooting a basketball. Grab your camera when your little girl is spinning in her princess dress. These are the memories you want to capture and the ones you'll want to remember when your children are grown!


Photography takes practice, but it's such a fun hobby! I hope these tips have helped you! Have a great day! :)