Jason Lee is a wedding photographer who started taking photos of his two little daughters back in 2006 when his mom was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The girls were constantly sick, with colds and coughs so he couldn’t always bring them to visit their grandmother. Jason wanted her to be able to see her granddaughters without catching their kid germs so he started a blog where his mom could see what was going on in their lives. Most of the ideas come from his daughters Kristin and Kayla. Jason says that they are never-ending source of ideas. Take a look at his photos and you can’t help but be inspired to want to pick up your camera and shoot away at your son, daughter, niece or nephew.
Here’s some of Jason’s exclusive tips on how you can take creative kids photography, too.
1. Try planning a shot out beforehand
Spontaneity is awesome, but sometimes it helps to pre-visualize before snapping away. Many of the photos I take require setting up props, lights, and of course the subjects. I try and set everything up before hand, and at most, I am taking photos of the girls only for a minute or two.
2. We all love smile
I love smiles. My kids love to smile. One thing I never tell them to do is…..smile. Instead of telling them to “SMILE FOR THE CAMERA,” tell them a joke. Say something funny. Do something funny. Have them act silly or say something silly. Make fart sounds. Smile achieved!
3. Monkey see, monkey do
Often times, it’s difficult to have kids pose a certain way. Instead of telling them to pose, I do a variation of Simon Says. I show the kids what I want, and have them copy me. I then head to the kitchen and take out 3 bowls of vegetables and proceed to challenge them to round 2 of Simon Says.
4. Think outside the box
Paint, on the wall? Really? Not really, but telling the kids that certainly got them excited. Sharing your ideas with them gets them excited and willing to participate. Also make sure you hide all your cans of paint afterward.
5. Join in the fun and get in front of the camera
Rather than always just snapping at them, get in the frame too. Being in the photos can be just as fun as taking the photos.
6. Add props to the photo
Edible props are a plus. It gives them something to do while you snap away.
7. Free money!
YAY! Bribery and rewarding works wonders. I told them they could keep all the money that was inside these Chinese Red envelopes (Lai-see). What I didn’t tell them was they were all empty inside.
8. Photoshop magic
My kids aren’t really able to fly, but from the way the run and jump all around the place you’d think they were able to. Compositing images is something that takes a little time to learn, but it’s relatively simple in theory. Take an image with subject in the frame, then one without. Erase the parts you don’t want in the frame, and now you have little flying witches.
9. There’s always a reason to shoot
Think of all the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, New Years, and Easter. If there are no holidays – birthdays, special events, the Rapture.
10. Distractions
Remove them if at all possible. I love clean and simple images. The focus of a photo should be the subject, and not something else that a viewer is drawn to.
