“He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother”, The Hollies said it best and it truly is what our family stands by. Both myself and my husband live this truth with our boys through our thoughts, words and actions. Because of this our boys have lived in a world where family is number one and they know it is their job, no scratch that, their duty to lift each other up and take care of one another.
Read more: 3 Tips for Photographing Your Kids Together
Now lets just set the record straight. I am by no means Mary Poppins. I don’t have a magic solution to creating a calm, tranquil and peaceful home. My boys don’t just sit around and love on each other. Life is busy, it’s fast, it’s chaotic, it’s messy. They play loud and they also fight, they run fast and they sometimes want their own space. So, it’s really important to understand that and know there is a place and time to capturing those beautiful sibling bonds.
With that in mind here are a few more tips I have that will help you capture that love and connection between siblings.
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No.01Be Ready
I’ve said this before but I will say it again. It really is the most important thing when capturing your kids. These moments are fleeting and they happen fast and they are not able to be recreated. I always suggest having your camera within reach wherever you go.
But not only that, make sure you understand the light and apply the correct settings. Nothing sucks more than when you capture that perfect moment only to realize it was lost due to bad settings.
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No.02Look for Clues
Sit off to the side and just watch them hanging out together. Look for clues and signs that might lead to a moment. When they are playing a game, wait to see if the youngest will look up at the oldest for guidance. Will the oldest place a hand on the youngest? Are they going to laugh soon? These are all great moments to capture.
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No.03Find common ground
I often find the best moments of love and bonding is when my kids are doing something together that they all love doing. Whether that be eating ice cream, playing a board game or most recently, playing street hockey, when they are doing something that they love to do there are always happy and those loving moments just happen effortlessly.
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No.04Plan for the moment
Not everyone would agree with me on this one, but sometimes your kids need prompts and a friendly nudge. Sometimes I know that in the near future there will be an opportunity for them to give each other a little love.
I usually say something to them about how I would love to capture this moment. It prepares them a little and it helps you capture your vision.
For example, my boys school yard has this great path they can walk down to get to the actual yard. Every year on the first day of school I like to capture them “walking into their future”.
This year I asked my oldest to put his arm around his little bro. I told him that Levi would feel so much better having his big bro there supporting him and leading him to the big kid yard. My oldest obliged and it’s one of my favorite pictures ever.
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No.05Bring on the potty words
I’m not kidding, if you ask your kids to say the word poop, I guarantee they will look at each other and laugh and giggle and start to list other silly words. Ok this might not work with teenagers, in that case I would ask them about their boyfriend/girlfriends. I dare you to try it!
More tips to help you photography your children:
– Candid Child Photography: How To Capture Genuine Childhood Memories
Very nicely written. Children’s photography has so much naturalness and emotion. I like.
Thank you so much!!!!
Wow nice, beautiful writing and photographs thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for such simlple techniques……s
Thank you for sharing your precious photos and suggestions for natural captures! This is my favorite photography style and I strive to keep getting better at it! I appreciate all your tips!
Very sound tips & helpful.