Photographing Your Own Kids

Without a doubt, the hardest assignment for a professional photographer is when he has to photograph his own kids.  My children don't behave for me the way that other people's children behave.  They don't pay attention, they act crazy, they throw fits.... add to that the fact that Daddy's patience tends to be shorter with his own kids than Booray's patience with someone else's kids and you can see how a little family photo shoot can go sour fast.  Next thing you know you are yelling at your kids the same way that you are always telling clients not to yell during your photo shoots.

I think the best thing to remember when photographing your own children is that many times the best pictures are not the ones you expect.  This applies to all photography, really.  Sometimes we spend so much time focusing on the perfect portrait that we lose sight of the emotion and fun that can make a great portrait too.  I like to try and get both during a session if possible.

Let me be clear that I'm not saying that any old snapshot is great as long as everyone is having fun.  This is a trend that is popular with new photographers who are weened on facebook and think that  lighting, composition, etc. are all secondary.  They are still just as important.  The trick is to get both, personality and good photography at the same time.  Be it artificial light or natural light, getting it right makes a big difference.

Just remember that some days you can work all day to get a perfect, posed picture of your family and when it's all said and done it's the one where your kids were goofing off that really captures who they are.  If you can get this:

... and also get this:

...you're having a good day.


Booray Perry is an award-winning wedding photographer in Tampa Florida who tries not to yell at his kids when taking their picture.
Getting married on the beach?  Here's how to have the Perfect Florida Beach Wedding!
Nothing makes a party more fun than The Vogue Booth.  Tampa's Best Photobooth!