Play over posing...ideas for fun, candid photos of your children
 

How hard do you think photographing your kids is? Do you struggle to get those gorgeous genuine smiles, all your kids looking the right way and happy. Engaging kids in fun activities is always going to give best way to get candid, genuine smiles and laughter. You are going to capture their personality and and their smiles. I love the idea of playing over posing... to photographing children by making the activity fun and enjoyable rather than asking a child to pose and force a smile.  Here is a list of prompts, activities and that can help engage your children into candid play so that you can photograph you kids when they are playing and not noticing that you can photographing them. The kids will have more fun too!

I adore shooting my own kids (which is not always easy), but I have found some tricks that have worked for me to create really nice candid moments to photograph.  These images usually turn out to be my favorites!  Here you go:

Check the ones you want to try!
 

BEING SILLY

□ Any type of jumping

□ Ask the kids to do their silliest face, then do one

□ Having a parent/Sibling pretend to bother you, like a bonk on the head, or tickling you

□ Ask kids what a dinosaur says... When they roar, you scream and run away

□ Pretend to do silly, illogical things like eat grass, leaves, etc and or stick them to your forehead

□ Ask the kids to give you a high five and then pretend to fall over

□ Ask a funny member of the family to stand behind you and do their thing

□ Repeat after me, “I…LOVE…eating…big…hairy…feet! (toes, cheese, etc)
□ Calling boys, girl names and vice versa
□ Pretend to eat rocks or leaves while saying, “Mmmm, I’m SO hungry!!!”

Couture Kids Photography by Victoria Sturdy | Cambridge Cambridgeshire | Newborn Photographer

GAMES AND FUN ACTIVITIES
 

□ Tell the family to tickle each other

□ Tell a funny joke

□ Ask one of the children to tell a funny joke

□ Play games with the little ones use puppets, toys etc

□ Play peekaboo with babies

□ Tell the children to have a staring contest (wait for the moment they fall into giggles)

□ Tell the kids that there is a frog/fairy inside your camera and that if they watch closely, it’ll wink at them

□ Use reverse psychology and tell them not to smile

□ Say "Are you laughing at me? You better not be laughing at me!"

□ Show how much they love mum and dad

□ Encourage a big group hug for the family

□ Tell the siblings to "pretend to like each other!"

GAMES AND FUN ACTIVITIES
 

□ Collect leaves/rocks/sticks

□ Stacking rocks/sticks

□ Picking flowers

□ Tossing rocks in the water

□ Invite the child to ride on your “magic carpet,” (a blanket/hammock)
 

I compiled a list of our baby props that I use in the studio. If you would like to try your own DIY photoshoot at home or would like to buy a prop to take to your photoshoot or your baby's newest stage, or if you need a baby shower (or first birthday) gift, check out our suggestions! 

(Disclosure: These are affiliate links and I may receive commissions for purchases made through these links.  However, these are all products I have used personally and I highly recommend them.)