Let me just say that you can do everything technically “right” with your camera…but if you don’t consider how to capture the human connection, your images will fall flat!

We don’t look at images and instantly say “WOW…their White Balance is SPOT ON!!!”

No we saw…”Awwww, look at how sweet our babies are!” or “Man, you can feel the love in this picture!”

That’s what I’m always looking for! I often times throw out the “perfect settings” and just shoot with my gut and my heart!

You can do that too. Yes, you need to know your camera basics…but if you can capture human emotion, You’ve Won the Game!!!!!!

Here are my 5 tips for capturing emotion in your images:

#1: Ask your subjects to touch.

I always tell my clients there are a few rules…everyone must touch in some way. They usually laugh and I do a quick snap. hahahha But seriously, just a connection in some way. A simple light touch on an arm, a hand around the waist, a little nose rub. If you are photographing your kiddos…don’t line them up and say look at me and smile. It’ll turn into a big fail!! hahahaha Just ask them to hold hands or tickle each other or tell their sister a secret. Being silly is so fun!

#2: Give them something to do

Ask them to do something fun like hold hands and run. Maybe have them all jump in the air. Or even all look for the birds in the sky. This usually gives them a place to all focus and creates great connection. On the beach, I often have siblings hunt for shells….reminding them to stay together and show each other what they find.

#3: Let them look at each other

We know the typical look at the camera and say “cheese”!! I like to call those the “Grandma shots”, because all Grandmas want the ones where the kids are all looking at the camera and smiling. However, we as moms want images where their giggles are captured and those snaggle-toothed grins are beaming while they hunt for grasshoppers or sea shells. So encourage them to hug or laugh or even look out the window instead of looking at you.

#4: Get closer

Get in there and shoot close up. Sometimes I like to pull back and watch as the play unfolds…it’s like being a fly on the wall. But that’s more for storytelling. When I’m looking to capture true emotion…I get up close. You want those viewing the images to feel like they were there…so jump in there and get to clicking.