TIPS FOR TAKING BETTER PICTURES OF YOUR KIDS PLAYING IN THE SNOW |CHESTER COUNTY PHOTOGRAPHY|
Thinking back on my childhood I have very vivid memories of playing out in the snow. Building a snowman, sledding down the biggest hill we could find, building snow forts, all followed by a nice cup of hot chocolate topped with a mountain of marshmallows were some of my favorite days I can remember as a kid. We lived in a big neighborhood filled with kids and on snow days every one of us would come out and we'd play for HOURS. Now as a Mom of two there is little that I enjoy more than recreating those memories with my kids (minus all of the shoveling).
Snowy days can also provide some of the best backdrops for portraits of your kiddos. With snow covered trees, all white everything, cute little red noses, and kids bundled up almost past the point of walking, it can seem impossible to take a bad photo in the snow. And that's pretty true, but there are some things you can keep in mind to help boost your snow day photos to the next level with these 3 tips.
#1 Avoid an all white background
A white slate of snow is gorgeous to look at in person, but a solid snowy background makes it difficult to tell what all that white actually is in a photograph. Rather than pointing your camera directly down at them and all that snow, get down onto their level and angle your camera to include a contrasted background (think trees, fences, bushes, skyline, etc.). Not only will this create some depth to your photos but it showcases how truly beautiful the snow falls onto the surrounding environment.
#2 Allow them to play & capture it!
I know all too well how easy it is to say "Hey kids, look at Mommy and say cheese!" but trust me on this one, give them some space to play and take photos of just that. Allowing them to do what they naturally would do on a snowy day will create a beautiful story of what your day actually looked like. These will be the things both you and your kids will want to look back on in 10 years. If your kids love to go sledding, get down to the bottom of that hill and photograph them coming down. You'll get some beautiful natural smiles! Being able to look back on your son pushing a dump truck through the snow, your daughter pushing the carrot nose into the snowman, and sneak attacking Dad with snowballs will be the memories you will one day look back on and cherish. Mom, don't forget to hand the camera over to dad and get in there, your kids want to see you too!
#3 Motion, Motion, Motion
I love photos that freeze (pun intended) a moment in time & snow looks extra beautiful when motion is involved. Enourage your little one to throw a snow ball right at you, tell them that they get 1 free shot at you. As they aim, snap a pic, their face is likely to be a mixture of exited and determined, just like the image above! Running in the snow, sledding, making snow angles, and tossing snow up in the air are also all great ways to capture motion. No one needs to be standing still for a photograph to be beautiful, plus I guarantee you that you'll get some pretty happy smiling faces that are so genuine as the end result.
Bonus tip: GET OUT THERE AND HAVE SOME FUN
At the end of the day what your kids want to really remember the most is having fun and making some quality memories with you. Once you've snapped a few pictures that you're happy with, put that camera down and get out there. Have a snowball fight, build that epic snow fort, sled down that big hill, create the best snowman in the neighborhood. Savor these moments with your children, because we know all to well how fast this season of life is. At the end of the day cuddle up with them over a cup of hot chocolate and talk about your favorite parts of the day. Don't get too caught up in the monotony of being an adult and forget what it was like to once be a kid having the time of your life on a snow day.
Did you use these tips to level up your snow day photos? Post them in the comments, I'd love to see them! Happy snow day!