Kids Photos: Natural or Staged?

Trying to capture the perfect picture of your kids can sometimes mirror trying to run a marathon whilst wearing a wetsuit and flippers. It’s difficult. And the more children you add into the equation, the more difficult it gets. 

One of them is guaranteed to throw a strop, whilst one is guaranteed to need the loo what feels like every 5 minutes. And the other one? Well, you can’t even find them.

Therefore, possibly as a solution to this age old parenting nightmare, natural photography has grown ever popular. This basically refers to photos that are taken of your kids whilst the little treasures are being their delightful selves. But do we really want a picture of them wiping their nose with their sleeve over a photo of them sat smart and still on a fancy chair?

We’ve been debating this lately, and thought we’d share our opinions with you to hopefully help you on your venture to get the perfect snap.

Staged photos

Staged photos are the ones that everyone seems to remember from school – the pressed clothes, the neat hair, the perfect smile. You can clearly see the appeal of this type of portrait – your usual little devils are momentarily transformed into sparkling angels, without the need of a magic wand. They’re also classic, traditional, and if done well, extremely stylish. Therefore they also look great hanging proudly on your wall, or sitting in a lovely photo frame on the mantelpiece at home. 

So, what’s the downside of staged photos? 

These sorts of pictures are arguably becoming a little less popular, perhaps due to the fact that they’re so...perfect! The problem is that they do remind us of those school pictures from back in the day, and everyone ends up looking the same on them due to the same pose being used. They don’t reflect our kids and therefore look a little hollow, though of course, very attractive. 

Natural photos

Natural photos are all about capturing those priceless moments of your little ones being themselves, and showcase their distinctive personalities. Kids Photos should arguably be about the kids, and therefore trying to restrict them to a chair and clothes they hate will not impress them very much. If you’re thinking about investing in some professional photos, speak to the photographer about the best ways in which to photograph them, using a range of props, themes and backgrounds.

If you want to take them yourself, a good tip is to simply follow them around with a camera! For this sort of venture, you will of course have to possess the patience of a saint, because I can guarantee that for every 200 pictures, you’ll probably have about 10 that aren’t blurry, out of focus or of their feet. Don’t be afraid to look a bit silly as you lunge into a variety of poses to capture ‘creative’ angles, and keep your cool as your little ones have you running wild!

So, what’s your opinion? Do you favour the more traditional photo when it comes to snapping your kids, or are you all about modern creativity? 

This is a guest post.