The Rule of Thirds:
When we look at a photo our eyes naturally go to the intersection of an imaginary grid, which divides a picture into 3 rows of 3, nine equal squares.
Put your subject where those lines intersect and your photo will be more interesting to look at!
Golden Hour: When is the best time of day to take photos? Two hours before sunset! The hour before sunset is called Golden Hour because the sun is lower than usual in the sky and gives a beautiful golden glow to your photos. (One hour after sunrise is also Golden Hour. But that can be a bit too early for most people.)
In summer golden hour is late! But even with young kids it is worth it to stay up a little later to get that beautiful glow!
Backlighting can also be done in the morning! Position your subject so their back is to the sun. This creates a glow around them. Even better, if the light is filtered through some trees it makes the light softer. This photo was taken in late morning so you don’t have to wait for golden hour if you just find some trees!
Backlight works best when the sun is lower in the sky so morning or before sunset are both good times to get this look.
Sometimes kids give me the most awkward smiles!
One way to get them to look natural is to ask them questions about themselves. Everyone loves to talk about themselves! Once you get them chatting take a few photos and see how much better their expression is!
Mirrors and reflections. I love photographing reflections in mirrors. It gives another perspective. Stand back and get both the back of the subject and their reflection, or just the reflection.
