5 useful tips to capture older children

Amrita Samant

This is quite different from the usual information I share, because I usually talk a lot about babies, their milestones and how to capture them safely. But here's something for photographers and mammas with older grown-up children.

Older kids are both easy and hard to capture. Easy because they are more likely to respond to an instruction and hard because now that they are aware of what's happening, they're bound to feel awkward. That's understandable and it's the photographers duty to break the ice and document that innocence.

1) Be patient

My first tip is to be patient. Lots and lots of patience.  Ideally, try not to rush them into giving them expressions you want or force them to do things irrespective of whose shooting. Basically, don't expect them to perform on cue just because they can understand you. Take some time to ease in a conversation and then begin documenting. 

 Let's say they are still feeling uncomfortable, I'd suggest moving on to the parents or family shots first. Once they see and understand how fun it can be, they themselves will reveal their true selves because now they're ready to 'play'. That's when you start capturing their solo images.

2) Don't be choosy

It's not just smiles that make a picture beautiful. Focusing only on happy glee-filled moments isn't what childhood stands for. There's so much more to it and every parent here will agree.

 Learn to capture all their moments, as there is something interesting in every situation. Even their rare but quiet moments, when they are concentrating on something. Their quiet moments can sometimes tell a greater story than their smiles. Train your eyes to find the beauty in simplicity.

3) Capture their relationships

After taking some solo shots, it's time to capture their relationship with everyone in the family. Allow them to interact with their parents or their siblings. I wouldn't instruct them too much. Subtracting instructions from the process will lead to more  organic reactions being elicited. I love capturing those moments where they just nestle into their mom's arms because they are shy or tired. It's all about observing and a good presence of mind.

4) Let them be themselves

I can repeat this on loop. All the above steps help you get more posed or lifestyle images. This is the real approach I enjoy when working with older children. Older kids can sometimes be full of energy and would love to run around or play. I let parents lead me in on their comfort with this photography style. When kids act like themselves, their wild, carefree ways, you tend to capture their original personalities a.k.a the best version of them on camera. 

5) Play the inverse game

Kids at this age love to do the opposite of what we say. They get really playful and just want to do the opposite of what we are asking them. At times like these, use it to your advantage. Tell them " Please don't give your mom a hug!" And they might end up doing just what you want. Remember to act disappointed when they do the opposite. Use this sparingly as a last resort as it may not work on every kid.

I hope these 5 tips will get you  your dream shot that you always wanted. Also if you feel like this is not enough, and you want to hear more let me help you. Actually this is just 2% of the content that I will sharing during my LEVELUP photography workshop, so if you want to learn more all you have to do is click here.

Hope to see you guys at the workshop! 

Until then, keep creating!