Minty-Fresh Monday: Happy Fourth of July!

Mint (adj.) meaning new, fresh, sweet, brilliant, awesome.

Happy Birthday, America!  I hope you have a fantastic day!  My family and I are lucky enough to be having a block party today, so I get to make chili and cookies and watch fireworks without leaving my own yard.  Nothing better than that!

And speaking of birthdays, I have a little man who turns two this month.  So I thought I'd start our tip series with something that is unusual for me: posing your child.  You see, I'm big on capturing moments and it is honestly very rare for me to pose my children.  Even when I do a family session, it's more about chasing kids around than posing them.  However, there are times when you actually do want to get someone to stay still and smile.  

I got a burst of inspiration this week when Jack grabbed one of his daddy's shirts and tried to put it on.  I saw Jack in that man-sized shirt and inspiration struck.  I brought him downstairs to our "library" and propped him in a chair so he looked like a businessman at work.  

Now here's a quick word about light.  We'll talk more in depth about it in future posts but here's a tip: if you are indoors, open blinds and curtains and place your subject near a window.  These photos are all un-edited, straight out of the camera, just to show kind of light you can get without a flash. Click on individual photos to get a closer look:

So what's the trick to getting young kids to stay (relatively) still?  Give them something novel to hold and play with.  Don't want a giant Buzz Lightyear toy in your photos? Try a sticker (easy to hide with the right angle) or bubbles (photogenic).  For older kids, tell corny jokes, stories or ask them questions about themselves (girls always love to tell you what their favorite colors are).  Sometimes kids will even sit still if you promise to let them see their picture.  Snap a shot, flip your camera around and show your subject how great they look.  And never forget the power of a good bribe!  A promised cookie goes a long way to getting the photo you want!!!  I should also add that I made sure to get my settings right before I even put Jack in the chair.  That and lots of practice shooting on the fly helped me get these shots before he scrambled onto his next adventure. 

Try these tips today, and please share!  I'd love to see your photos.  Make sure you get each lesson,by become a fan of my Facebook page or subscribe to the blog by clicking on the right.  See you next Monday for more Minty-Fresh Tips!

xo,
Kristen