Doing it for the kids

Make taking children’s portraits a more painless pastime as experienced photographer – and parent – explains all you need to know

- Peter Travers

Photographing the family is the reason many of us bought a Canon DSLR in the first place. But taking portraits of young children can be more trouble than it’s worth – especially when it comes your own kids who refuse to pose or smile as soon as you get your camera out. The key is to have fun outdoors – we headed to our local woods in early autumn just as the leaves were starting to fall – and, as children don’t like sitting still, you need to shoot fast before they run off or get bored. We’ll explain more top tips and camera settings to make the photo shoot fun for everyone.