A Highlights Reel of Perfect Park Photos!

Kids love visiting the park – all that space to run around, and even more fun… all that exciting playground equipment to climb, jump and swing on!

If you’ve got young children, chances are you’re already well acquainted with your local parks and playgrounds. And as well as being a great, free way to keep them active and entertained, the park is also the perfect opportunity to capture some gorgeous shots of your kids at play.

If you’re super lucky, you might find you have the park to yourselves, but it’s more likely that you’ll have to share the space with other families. So how do you capture great shots of your little one, without all the neighborhood kids in the background?

Here’s how some of our Grads manage to nail the perfect park pics every single time!

 

1. Go Wide!

Choosing a wide angle lens will give you a chance to capture the whole scene, and the subtle distortion it adds can create some cool effects with the shapes and lines of the playground equipment.

CLG Tip

Choose a wide aperture to help blur out background distractions.

Related: What Lens Should I Use?

2. Frame It Up

With all its strong lines and geometric shapes, park playground equipment was basically designed for framing! And even better – you can use it to frame out distractions in the background!

Related: 21 Tips For Using Selective Focus

3. Change Your Perspective

Shoot up and use the sky as your backdrop, or down using the play equipment as a backdrop. Get down low and capture the view from your little one’s level, or climb up high to add scale…

 

CLG Tip

Don’t forget to capture the details – little hands grasping the swing ropes, determined faces as they scale the climbing frame, tiny feet ascending rope ladders and climbing equipment, etc.

4. Get Moving!

Life’s all swings and roundabouts – you’ll need a fast shutter speed for these ones!

Related: Unposed Kids Photography; Get Sharp Photos of Kids in Motion

5. Look for the Light

Golden Hour

Golden hour is a great time for park shots – think sunflares, warm light, and soft shadows.

Related: Golden Hour Photo Tips

 

Working with Harsh Light

As beautiful as it is, the golden hour is often the trickiest time of the day, with bedtime looming and little legs getting tired. So if golden hour just won’t work for you, embrace full sun (with hats and sunscreen, of course) and the cool shadow patterns it creates.

Related: How to Shoot in Harsh Light; Embrace Hard Light for Gorgeous Shadow Photos

 

I hope these tips helped spark your playground creativity when capturing your kids! We’d love to see your park shots, pop on over and share them with us on Facebook!

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