A few little Easter pictures

I swear I do do other things besides taking pictures of Brynlee, but with the weather being crappy and Ben working a ton we don't do a lot of the activities like we used to do.  This however will thankfully change when it get's nicer out!  Plus today me and a couple of friends and all of their kids went to the library for their story time which was fun, but too short!  We stayed a while and just let the kids play around in the children's part of the library and then headed back to her house to play Wii games.  I'm so lucky to have such great neighbors!

I think that next year I'm going to actually do Easter sessions or at least mini sessions for children.  I have big plans to!  I want either live baby chicks or a bunny.  I had a lot of fun taking Brynlee's pictures.  However, I do have to admit that it is definitely harder to take pictures of your own kid in your home.  She knows that she has free range and will go wherever she pleases.  Her favorite room right now is actually the studio which is really funny.  To get like 10-15 good pictures of her I do mini sessions with her that last like 10-15 minutes over a few days.    She's such a ham in front of the camera to and I absolutely love her little smile.  It's sometimes looks like pure joy and other times a mix between I'm happy but somewhat in pain haha.  I swear though we always have fun when I take her pictures!  I don't ever take them when she's grumpy.

Here are a few of my tips for anyone who wants to take better pictures of their kids:

• make sure they are fed
• make sure they have napped 
• if possible have something that they can interact with- is there a holiday coming up? (ex. Christmas ornament, Easter egg/basket, even 4th of July flag in the summer, heck little girls love jewelry) 
• Find a chair!  Seriously this is the best- put them on a little stool, children's chair, anything (ottoman, even a simple crate)- this will give you a better chance of getting some smiles. 
• Don't just sit behind the camera- you have to make it fun!  Dance, sing, play peek-a-boo.  Have music playing in the background.     
• Take pictures of them in their element.  I'm lucky that I have a kid who likes getting her pictures taken, but not all kids do.  Take pictures of them playing, reading, outside, etc.
• A 50mm lens will be your best friend!- For those with a DSLR I highly recommend getting a 50mm f 1.4 or for a more budget friendly a 50mm 1.8.  It's definitely the lens I use the most and then I love my 35mm as well.