How to Shoot More Meaningful Photos of Your Kids

As parents, what I think we want is to make more meaningful photos of our kids. Artistic and more beautiful photos of the kids, that brings us more joy delight and gratitude.

1. Donâ€™t use your iPhone

Iâ€™m a big fan of the iPhone, and I think the iPhone makes great photos. Based on my experience, I find the photos I shoot my Ricoh GR 3 much more meaningful than the iPhone photos.

Why? and when I look at my Ricoh GR 3 photos which I shoot in JPEG, with high contrast black-and-white filter, the photos just aesthetically look much more beautiful than any phone picture Iâ€™ve made, regardless of how many filters or how much I post process the photos.

2. See your kid as the ultimate art project

In todayâ€™s world, I donâ€™t know if parents actually want to spend much time with their kids. It seems that most parents would actually prefer working over spending time with their children.

Also, most photographer artists donâ€™t actually see their own children as artistic matter. The strange bias as photographers is that we only think that meaningful and artistic photos are of other people, strangers, foreign people, foreign places, and exotic things and places. I say instead, consider yourself, your own family, and your own children as the ultimate artistic matter and subject matter.

Because think about it, you and your partner created your children biologically. Isnâ€™t that art?

3. Enjoy it on the daily

I make photos of Seneca, all day, every day. And I also like to review the photos on the same day, or the day of, or maybe the next day. Why? It arguments my experiences and memories and recollections I have a spending time with this awesome child.

Now as a parent that now that I have a lot less free time, whenever I have even 30 minutes of free time when Seneca is napping or feeding, rather than use that time to read a book, or watch a movie, I would prefer to review my photos of him instead. in other words, any free time you have, devote that to your artwork, not â€œworkâ€ work.

4. In praise of baby carriers

Iâ€™m a huge fan of the baby Bjorn and Ergobaby carriers. Why? It allows me to spend time with Seneca, take them out to adventures, nap him, and even go and take photos. This is great when you go hiking, to the mall, grocery shopping, to the local coffee shop, or even taking a walk around the block.

When he falls asleep Iâ€™ll often photograph him. Also on the Ricoh GR 3, use macro mode to do close-up of his eyes, hands, feet, eyelashes, and any other details of him.

5. Selfies, close ups, action playing photos

Not only doing close-ups of him, but also selfies with him. Also photographing action photos of him playing, and experimenting with different perspectives and angles.

6. Trying to catch decisive moments

Catching the decisive moment in street photography is hard. Catching decisive moments with your child is even harder. and actually, it is a fun thing. Trying to catch a decisive moment with your kid is a fun and interesting challenge.

7. There is no perfect photo

Literally on the daily, Seneca is changing. Every day I could swear he looks a little different. Therefore he is in flux, Iâ€™m in flux, our life is in flux, all is in flux. As a consequence, know that there is no perfect photo, because everything is always changing.