10 tips to transform your family photos in 2024

If you love taking photos of your kids but are always looking for ways to create even better images, these tips will help you do exactly that. Remembering to use even half of these tips will transform the quality, variety, and depth of feeling in the photos you create.

1. Stop asking your kids to smile at the camera, instead try to photograph them doing something they love, whether they're drawing or jumping off the sofa. You'll be capturing your child as they are, creating a special memory of this phase in their childhood.

2. Get down to your child's eye level when making a photo. This simple trick will make a dramatic difference to the feel of the image, creating a more pleasing perspective.

Getting down to a child’s eye level helps us to see the world through their eyes

3. Check who's missing from your family photos. Is it you? If so, think of ways to include yourself in the photos, whether that means asking your partner, an older sibling, or the good old self-timer on your phone.

4. Step back and take in the whole scene. Most photos are taken at a distance of 1-2 meters from the person or people. By stepping back you take in the environment, like their bedroom or your living room. I wish I had photos of my childhood bedrooms and your kids will appreciate these photos so much when they are all grown up.

Mums are often missing from family photos since they often are the main photographer in the family

5. Get close to make detailed images of hands, eyes, or any part of your children that you love and want to remember.

6. Photograph moments that are repeated every day. Instead of focusing on unusual, cute, or special moments, try and create a mindful record of your morning or evening routine. From eating breakfast to bath time, photos of these seemingly mundane moments will mean so much when looked back on in years to come.

Photographing your child’s everyday moments helps you to remember this particular time in their childhood

7. Use a glass to blur out household clutter. This trick will work even with your phone camera! Partially cover the lens with a drinking glass and you now have the power to make any part of your photo beautifully blurry.

8. Learn how to adjust the exposure on your camera. In auto mode, our cameras (including phones) try to neutralise scenes that are seen as too dark or too bright. But sometimes you might want to take a darker moodier photo with rich colour tones or a bright airy photo.

In this situation controlling the exposure was crucial: the camera would have either tried to make the photo too dark (because of the bright window) or too light (because of the dark room)

9. Collaborate with your kids to make a creative photo. There are lots of ideas online, for example, photos with chalk drawings that make it look like your kids are walking in the clouds!

10. Take on a photo challenge. You can find many online, like 'a photo a day' or monthly themes. Join a photography challenge Facebook group to share your images and learn from others to get inspired.

I hope these tips have inspired you to pick up your camera and try a few new things!