tip 8: make it FUN!

Written by Bex Lipp of Verdict Photos

Let the real personality shine and to do this make it fun!  Get them doing something they love, that gives them joy, makes them laugh and you will surely get some wonderful shots.  Be silly and let them be silly, have fun together before snapping away.  Take a few photos and then continue playing around, then take a few more.
 
If they think you are being genuine then they can be too!  Let their personality literally bubble out.  I love that sparkle in their eyes and you know that is the ‘real’ them.
 
You can always add a bit of fun by playing with water (watch out for your camera though), blowing bubbles are great fun and I just love the tickle monster in action.
 
One other thing that is great, once you have a relaxed and happy child set the camera to rapid fire or burst mode and get a lot of shots fast.  Ask them to dance. kick a ball or blow some bubbles and fire away.  It could be a really cool series of photos that could be put together on a canvas.
 
PLEASE do not ask you kids to SMILE!!  What I find is much better is to ask them ... “Don’t smile ok? No seriously ... don’t you smile silly sausage” repeat that a few times and see what smiles you get, usually they are great, filled with laughter.  I read somewhere that laughter is a smile that bursts ... love it!


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