How to get your children to smile naturally for the camera

Children and family photographer in Northamptonshire

Are you thinking of booking a professional children and family photography session? Maybe you would like timeless artwork to fill the walls of your home, which have no shelf life?

We probably all know that if you want to make children smile quickly and easily for photos, we ask them to say cheese! Although this can and does work, the problem is children soon get bored of hearing “say cheese”. We then tend to end up with a Cheshire Cat grin, or something that looks a little awkward!

So if you want genuine smiles from children, with spontaneous expressions of glee and laughter, the kind that warms your heart and creates images (and in turn, wall art!) that you can display around your home and love for years to come, you will need to engage with them in more fun ways.

Whatever age of your child there are always ways to capture that gorgeous, natural smile that you see everyday. Whether you will be taking photos yourself or getting a professional children’s photographer to help you. This is how you can get your children to smile more naturally in photos.

Let them play and wait for the natural smiles

This is my number one trick. Sometimes when we are so set on capturing that genuine smile, the whole experience can become a little stressful. You’re in a beautiful location, the kids are dressed smartly, but they don’t want to play ball. We’ve all been there!

But nice photos don’t always have to be about a planned moment. Some of my favourite photos of my children are of them climbing trees and playing in streams. I normally encourage mum or dad to chat to them whilst I’m waiting with the camera, ready for the moment where they naturally look up and smile.

I tailor each family photo shoot to the individual child and if all they want to do is explore the location and play, then that’s what they can do! A happy child equals beautiful, authentic photographs.

Funny faces

This one always works great when I’m trying to get children to laugh for a family photo shoot! Normally I’m in position with the camera, and mum and or dad are behind me making all sorts of funny faces. Even if your child starts to pull funny faces back, that’s absolutely fine. We are here to capture the life that is happening around us!

Tickle

Simple but always very effective. To make children smile with ease, have a parent tickle the child or encourage siblings to tickle (as long as everyone likes to be ticked, of course). The photographer can count to 3 very slowly, and tell them they have to wait until you get to 3 to tickle each other. Capture the smiles and looks of excited anticipation in the build up. During a children’s photo shoot we can drag this one out a few times, and capture their connection and laughter as they tickle one another.

Peekaboo

Play peekaboo behind your camera. This one works better with younger kids, up to around 2 years old. Another variant of this is to have someone hide behind the photographer, pop-out, hide again, pop-out, etc. This is sure to draw out those natural smiles and laughter.

Throw them in the air

This is another one that works well with kids who are still small enough to be tossed up into the air. What child doesn’t like to play a little rough? Throw them in the air, pretend to drop them, hold them upside down, etc. This means that a parent or older sibling will be captured having a special moment together and always results in genuine smiles and therefore, beautiful authentic images.

The ‘I’m going to get you’ game

Children love games, which is why it works so well when you want to get them to smile for the camera. The “I’m going to get you” works perfectly when you start to wiggle your fingers, as you move slowly towards them. Mum or dad then run up and tickle them for a second and then back away and start it all over. This time though, you move slowly towards them as if you are going to “get them” again, but you pause, snap a picture or two, and then move back to tickle them all over. I do this all the time with little ones during sessions and I only have to tickle them once or twice and then after that, the anticipation of me “getting them” works like a charm to bring out those genuine smiles

At Elis Brown Photography, we are able to capture stunning family and children images to treasure for generations to come. If you’re looking for a photographer in Northamptonshire, then get in touch with us today to find out more about our services.