We often take photos to capture favourite or important moments. Family holidays, get-togethers, kids parties, and school plays were just some we'd be snapping away at. However, now that we don’t have anything exciting happening while we’re stuck at home, it’s still important to record our kids growing up and developing.
We’re spending a lot more time together as a family and although it can feel like this will go on forever, things will go back to normal (ish) and we’re all going to look a bit different once it does. Our hair will be longer, the kids will have grown taller, and they’ll probably have more teeth too so why not get these changes on record by taking photos just as much as you normally would if you were out and about.
If you don’t know where to start when it comes to getting great pics of your kids, then here are a few tips:
Don't be selfie-conscious
Make sure you’re in some of the photos yourself. Although you may be self-conscious that you don’t look your best, you’re the only one who cares. Your kids will be grateful that they can look back on the photos in years to come and see how much you loved, hugged and kissed them. It will help bring back memories for both of you.
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Try not to force the photo
Don’t worry about trying to make sure that everyone looks smart (realistically it’s much more likely that everyone will be in mismatched pyjamas). The main thing is that all (or most) people in the picture are happy or content whether that’s because they’re playing a fun game, they’ve been served their favourite dinner, or simply just because it’s Friday. There’s no need to get them to pose for the camera either; you’ll get the best expressions when they don’t notice they’re being snapped.
Capture it before they've grown out of it
A great way to remember this period of time in a positive way is to focus on capturing your kids with their most treasured possessions. Children go through different phases so quickly it can be easy to forget what they were into at what age. You could photograph them cuddling their favourite teddy or doll, reading their favourite book, racing their coolest car, or proudly playing an instrument.
Get creative with how you display the photos
Once you’ve got plenty of pics to choose from, you can decide what you’d like to do with them. There are lots of companies that allow you to select photos from your phone and design and arrange an album that will be delivered to you. They’re relatively inexpensive and this means you won’t worry about the kids spending time flicking through the album themselves. You may also want to enlarge the best ones and create your own gallery wall; Pinterest is great for getting inspiration for the layout. Other uses for printed photos include creating a scrapbook, inserting into Christmas decorations that have a frame, creating a calendar for yourselves or as a gift and for homemade thank you, birthday, or Christmas cards.
