MomShots

One of my personal goals for taking photos of my children is to capture their personality. I want to be able to look at my MomShots and see the joy and love of life that my children exude through every poor in their bodies. I want to look at those shots and be forced to smile because my children’s vibrant delight and love has been captured by my camera.

How do we do this? How do we take photos that help us see through the mud pie smudges and peanut butter smears and into the soul of our children? Or how do we take those great shots that actually capture the mud pie smudges and peanut butter smears? Sometimes we want to remember those grubby little mugs for who they really are and sometimes we want shots that make us feel like fantastic parents who actually can keep our children clean for longer then 2.5 seconds.

One of my favorite ways to do this is very simple. It is quite simple but has made a huge difference in how much I enjoy looking at my own MomShots. This particular trick is to get really, really close. I have found that by filling your camera’s viewfinder with your child’s face makes for great photos.

Variations on this tip can be really fun. You can focus on your child’s eyes and fill the frame with his entire face or you can choose to only have part of their face in the frame. You can experiment with your child looking directly at you or looking away. You can also play with capturing their emotions up close and personal; alligator tears have never looked so pitiful as when they fill an entire photograph.

As the photographer, you have as much or as little creative control as you choose to give yourself. You can experiment to your heart’s delight and if you are focusing on getting close to your subject your shots will often amaze and delight you.