So your kids are growing up, they’re out of that cute baby/toddler stage (when you can literally point a camera at them at any given moment and it’s gold), and you’re wondering what’s next for your photography.

Naturally, as kids get older, we tend to put down our cameras or turn towards something else for inspiration.

My children are just shy of 16, almost 11, 8, and 7 years old. It wasn’t until just a couple years ago that I really started heavy into photography and was taking photos of them consistently. My daughter is the youngest (and I’ll admit, a bit of a diva and loves the camera), so the majority of my photos are of her. But she was already 5 when I really got started. So I missed out on capturing all the cute firsts and sweet innocence of toddlerhood. Sure I’d snap something here and there when they were tiny, but most of what I captured was posed portraits for other families. Not our real, everyday life. None of it was authentic.

As our children age, they get more awkward, they spend more time locked away in their rooms, chatting with friends, and don’t really want you to have a camera in their face 24/7. But I still want to capture this stage of my kids’ lives. I want to remember this age when they’re grown with families of their own.

So how do you do that and keep them into it? Keep them excited to be in photos? How can you continue taking new and interesting photos of tweens and teens who pose instead of showing true authentic moments when you point a camera at them?

Here’s a few tips I’ve used the last few years to keep it fun!

1. Explore new and exciting places. If we tell our kids we’re going for a little day trip somewhere new, of course the first reaction is a sigh and a “but I’m in the middle of a game”. Once they know where we’re going and what kinds of cool places there are to explore, they’re all for it! For example, this past summer we went on a day trip to a new suspension bridge with a swimming hole under it. There were lots of other places to explore along the way, and this bridge – although a bit scary – was a huge hit! Every one of them asked to have their picture taken walking across.
   
2. Find the quiet moments. These moments might not feel interesting enough to capture. You might just put your camera away and wait for a more fun moment. But remember, you’re capturing their life now, as it is, in all it’s boring glory. My boys got new LED strip lights for Christmas, so as rarely as they came out of their rooms before, they’ve pretty much taken to hibernating in there now. So one day while the door was left open, I snapped this quiet moment of my son sitting in his gaming chair at his desk playing his video games. This is his life 90% of the time when he’s at home. So even if it’s not something you think others would be interested in, it’s real. And it’s beautiful.
3. Explore things they enjoy. Whether it’s a sport they love, building something, drawing, creating, it doesn’t matter. Whatever it is they are interested in, take some time to go explore that with them. I do find at this age I have to basically force them out of the house or out from in front of a screen, but once we get them out, the magic happens. My middle boy is HEAVY into fishing. Fly fishing is his absolute favourite! So sometimes I’ll tag along on one of their excursions and just stand back, enjoy the moment, and capture the scene unfolding. When we get home both him and my husband get SO excited to see the photos I’ve taken and it makes every single bug bite worth it!
4. Encourage them to ignore you. This is so so hard for older kids. They are so conscious of where the camera is ALL. THE. TIME. But when they can let loose and forget, it’s amazing. Their favourite photos I take are the ones where they’ve taken my advice, ignored me, and just played. This is usually when I can still capture them interacting with each other. When they are together, they are less concerned about where me and my camera are. You don’t realize how much innocence is still there when they really start playing.
   
5. Get them involved. If I come up with an idea for something – say this Christmas photo for example – I’ll scour the internet for examples similar to what I’m thinking of. Then I get them involved in the creative process. Ask them what they want to be doing, how we could make it better, just take all of their ideas and bring them to life! Some of my absolute favourite photos I’ve ever taken are the ones where the kids came up with these big, beautiful ideas and we create magic together.
6. Change up your perspective. This could be a new angle, a silhouette, a creative crop, a reflection – just find a different way to capture the moment. Capturing their faces isn’t always something they want. Silhouettes are my favourite way of capturing the moment while still ensuring them their face will not be in the photo. Also shooting their backs. I cannot tell you how many photos I have of my kids’ backs! And sometimes narrowing in on one small feature (like their feet running through the waves at the beach) can tell so much more of a story than a photo with their faces included.
7. Lastly, bring your camera everywhere. Even as babies, this is still true. You never know when a moment will pop up that just screams “photograph this”. There have been so many times I have wished I had my camera with me but didn’t bring it thinking I wouldn’t be using it. But it’s always these times that they are asking me to snap a photo of them holding something or doing something crazy, or maybe just lost in the moment.

In the end, just keep shooting. Sometimes I’ll look at the 500 photos I’ve taken of one little outing and be very underwhelmed with all of them, not seeing my vision come to life. But each and every one of those moments are photos I would not have taken had I not pushed myself to continue capturing my kids as they get older. We always make a photobook each year, and some of the best pages are filled with the beautifully imperfect images captured in the moment. I’m always thankful to have these to look back on, and so are the kids. As an artist, I am forever growing and learning and wanting to better my photography, and not giving up just because my kids are growing up has been such a huge part of my growth. Someday they won’t be in my home anymore, so I want to cherish every single moment I can while they’re still here.

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