How to take the best holiday photos with children

27 May, 2022

Wow, what stunning surroundings! You want a great memory of that. So you ask your children to stand in the middle of the scene, to smile and… did you get a good photo? You did with a bit of luck. But it is quite a challenge with fast-moving youngsters. If you want to know how to take great photos of your children while on the road or at a campsite, we have twelve handy tips for taking photos of your children while on holiday.

Tell a joke

Asking your child to smile for a photo is not always a success. You get silly faces or awkward frowns. What does work is to do or say something fun, ask questions, tell a joke, or point something out. It can help to have your child’s favourite cuddly toy at hand that ‘talks’ to your child. When your children smile genuinely, you get much better photos.

Strike a pose

Another thing that works well is to give them a small task: give a high five, give each other a cuddle, count to three and stand like a knight, etc. That’s how you can get happy holiday photos. Get your child’s holiday friends to join in and take some fun group photos. They can try and impress each other with their cool poses.

Get down on your knees

Kneel down or lie down on the ground to get a great photo of your child playing. That will enable you to capture the world from your child’s perspective, which is easily a metre below your own field of vision. Do it while your youngster is building a sand castle or pushing a car over the grass, for example. Or try photographing at table height during dinner. Then you can take great photos of your daily activities.

Photograph in the shade

It is harder to photograph children in the sun than you might think. You get strange shadows and squinting eyes. You get better photos in the shade, or at the beginning or end of the day when the light is at its best.

Fast children, fast shutter speed

If you find that your child is often out of focus on photographs, then one of the most important tips we can give you is to use a fast shutter speed. Take some time before your holiday to check your camera settings and figure it out. Or use an automatic setting for sports or action photos. By using a fast shutter speed, you quickly ‘freeze’ the image. It is ideal with youngers who run off quickly and to photograph children playing on a swing, for example.

Photograph from behind

If you like taking photographs of your children in the natural scenery, a photograph of your children from the back can create a surprisingly pleasant effect. And even more so when combined with a great view. You get an ambient and calm photo. Photograph your children while they are looking out to sea or over a beautiful landscape, for example. Or sitting on a fence or wall. Combined with a sunset, you will get an spectacular effect.

Or take the photo from above

Or you can take it from below, of course

Daydreaming

If your child is staring ahead daydreaming or fully engrossed in playing, that’s an ideal moment to surreptitiously take a photograph of your child.

Photograph details

Consider bare feet on the sand or grass, a close-up with sunglasses, a head of sandy hair, or even a face sticky with ice cream. Those types of photos of children bring back that holiday feeling and put a smile on your face.

Use objects

For example, toys, beach balls, colourful drinking cups, a big slice of watermelon. These types of objects can really liven up a holiday photo.

The tip for child photography: make it fun

If you get your child to jump twenty times to try and get that perfect jumping photo that just isn’t working or photograph during dinner while you are fussy about with wipes, the fun soon wears off. Stop photographing before your whole family becomes grumpy and simply enjoy the moment. And besides, that crazy family photo with one person standing on the ground, the other just landing and number three hanging in the air, is actually the best kind of photo!

Bonus tips for at the campsite

• Take photos of your kids at the campsite. Consider playing on the camping field, or a cosy photo of your little ones in their sleeping bags. And don’t forget to take a picture of your temporary home. It’s fun to look back and see how much fun it was in the glamping tent or static caravan.
• Take photos with the holiday friends on occasion too. They are also part of the holiday. Take some fun group photos together.
• If there’s a petting zoo at the campsite, you can take great photos of your children playing with the animals.

Have you booked your holiday already?

If you are still looking for a great destination for your summer holiday, you can find the best and most friendly campsites in Europe at Suncamp.co.uk.