Photo tip for Parents: Refuse to say cheese

Here's a quick tip to improve your photos of your children - refuse to say cheese. Instead capture the story.

We've all experienced this when our child/children are playing, looking so cute, and we pull out the camera and ask them to say “cheese”. It's engrained in us to do this! And there is nothing wrong with capturing those sweet smiles. But if the smile is the only thing we capture, we have missed out on the rich stories of our ever-changing lives.

Instead, let's capture the story of their childhood. To do this, let's think about capturing the details and the setting. What are the defining details you want to remember about this age? What is the setting that surrounds your little one?

For example, capture your child quietly playing on the kitchen floor. Capturing them walking down the hall carrying all their favorite stuff animals. Capture them sitting at the dinning room table where their feet barely reach the ground. Get in close on the details, then step back and get a photo of the entire setting.

If your child is stuck is “saying cheese mode” or is reluctant to have her picture taken, ask if you can do a special photo shoot with their favorite toys. This is a wonderful way to get children excited and involved in documenting their day-to-day life and allows you to capture authentic moments! (I used this method a lot with Søren!)