With summer coming, you know that it’s the season for a lot of photo-ops! The warm, pretty days spent at the splash pad, or the water park…laying out at the pool or bicycle rides in the park. You will want to capture these moments before the summer ends! Here’s a few tips for getting great action shots of your children this summer:

–Utilize the continuous shooting mode (the iPhone has a “burst” mode for those of you with a smart phone). With more photos, you will have a better chance of getting a clear shot.  Be sure to delete your unusable ones, since you’ll use up room on your phone’s storage. Digital cameras also have this feature, and you can find how to use it in your camera’s manual, or by looking it up on Google (here’s the iPhone instructions).

-Use the center focal point: The iPhone allows you to use your finger and choose a “focus point”, and so do most digital cameras. This is a great way to sharpen in on your subject, especially during sports or activities with lots of movement.

-Get on their level: For children who are small, getting down on their level can dramatically change your field of vision and capture better expressions and smiles than if you shot from your (much higher level).

-If you have a non-phone digital camera, learn your aperture and shutter speeds: These days, even the lower-end digital cameras have the option to manually change your aperture and
shutter speeds. A faster shutter speed will allow you to get clear photos when you have plenty of light (i.e.: a sports field). Learn your camera settings and take your camera off AUTO, which does not account for variabilities in your shoting.

-Lastly, hire a pro! No matter how many shots you can take of your children, you will never regret hiring a professional to capture your little one, or your whole family. You may not want to be in the picture, but in the years to come, you’ll want whole family portraits to look back on. I’d love to show you the different options we have for your family session!