We had a great weekend with a pool full of kids celebrating preschool graduation. I haven’t had a moment to download the pictures, but it did get me thinking about photographing kids. Now that summer is here, it is the time when children spend long afternoons playing with friends and exploring their surroundings. These carefree days provide the perfect opportunity to photograph children in a candid way. So, forget the studios and backdrops and instead, choose to capture those perfectly imperfect moments that childhood is made of.

1. Choose an environment that allows for exploration. Your shots will be more candid if you let children roam around and play. After all, that is what children do best!

2. Relax. When you (the photographer) are calm and relaxed, your children will respond in a more natural way.

3. Shoot from different perspectives. Photograph them from above or behind to really get a sense of how they relate to their surroundings.

4. Use props or toys to provide comfort and encourage play. This is particularly effective if you are photographing shy children.

5. Get the parents involved. Nothing is more beautiful than the bond between children and their parents.

I’d love to see some of your favorite photos of your kids. Share a link here!

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Ray Kappe’s light filled home he built for his family is probably one of my favorite homes of all times.

Loved Katsuya Kamo’s space featured in the Selby.

I have always liked Doug Aitken and seeing his “Acid Modernism” home put me over the top.

I dog-eared this image from Spartan awhile ago. Yes, please let me visit at the golden hour.

I love that the book sitting on Alexandria’s sun dappled table is Uta Barth.

Oh, The Glow + Kate Young…need I say more.

A stack of leftover wood + a child’s imagination = backyard art installation and hours of fun

Everyday I come across abandon moments. Remnants of activity, left behind. These captured moments end up being some of my favorite photographs. They are evidence of life. We were there. We played. We lived.

As a mother, I spend a lot of time cleaning up. As I do so, I often notice how beautiful the scene is. Now, don’t get me wrong, most of the time picking up after kids is more drudgery than beauty, but in certain moments, I can see the perfection. These pictures are my everyday still life.

Do you capture the “stuff” of life? Please share!

A line of flowers meticulously created and left by Olivia

Changing baby and the abandoned curtain tent.

Photobooth making remnants.

Outdoor mud play, left for another day.

Boots left where they fell.

The piano, post practice.

I love getting out of town. I also love spontaneity. This weekend had it all! We had been planning a trip to Pioneertown and Joshua Tree with friends, but as anyone with kids knows, coordinating multiple families to do anything takes major effort. Somehow the effort was dropped and but we managed to pull together a last minute getaway, which ended up being perfect. It also happened to coincide with the aforementioned storm of the century. Over the course of 24 hours we saw bright blue skies, warm sunny spots, pouring rain, sideways blowing snowflakes on our desert hike, biting cold winds, and a major snowstorm. We also saw good friends, a very cool bar, our kids dance, play, rock climb and engrave fantastic childhood memories into their lives.

Photos taken with my Canon & instagram. Patterns from Cluster.

This weekend was the perfect reminder of how rewarding it is to plan a simple over-night, last minute trip. It doesn’t take major planning, just a get-up and go attitude. A change of scenery, exploring a new town, a long drive, time spent with family and friends is really what life should be full of. Sprinkling these weekends throughout the year makes life feel like a vacation! Are you a weekend traveler or do you usually plan vacation time? Do you like to get up and go last minute even with kids? I’d love to hear!

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