The ultimate question, how to photograph children? How to capture your child for who they really are and not just for what they look like? Before the shoot think about what it is that you want to portray about your child. You want your photographs to tell story about them. Are they shy, outgoing, feeling moody that day? Is your daughter going through a princess stage and is your son into cars and trucks? Let them play and you will capture their personality. But before you set out on your adventure in capturing those special moments here is something to think about: The basics.

A fast camera is a must. Kids are fast, they are constantly running, climbing, changing their play, by the time you use your point and shoot camera, that beautiful expression you wanted to catch will be long gone and your child will be nowhere in sight. For a fast response, a DSLR is a must.

Have all your equipment ready and choose a location before your child arrives to play. Replace batteries in your camera so you are not losing time and missing on some great shots during your photo shoot. Set your camera in aperture priority mode. This will give you creative control over depth of field- meaning how much or how little you want the background to show. Some backgrounds can be really distracting so you will want a shallow depth of field, which will make the background blurry and eliminate the unnecessary clutter. Zoom in really close and focus on your child’s eyes. Eliminating the background simplifies your photo and tells more about the person you're photographing. With that said, sometimes you may want to include a background to give context to your shots. A good lens to use would be a longer lens such as F/2.8 70-200mm. It will allow you to be away and non intrusive as your child plays and if you set your aperture wide open it will blur out that unnecessary background.

The best children photos are unposed. Capture your kids while they are playing, dancing and just being silly. Dress them comfortably. If you put them in their Sunday’s best your kids will feel stiff and uncomfortable and your images will look uninspiring. If your kids can’t move around freely you won’t get those great images you were looking for. Avoid any writing on the clothing or any recognizable logos. Your eyes are always drawn to writing first and it will take away from your child’s face. Set up some toys, take them outside and let them play. Get them doing something that they enjoy and you will find many opportunities for that perfect shot. Watch them carefully and when the moment is right snap away. You may even shoot in your camera’s highest burst rate-multiple frames at a time.

Avoid using on camera flash. Use natural lighting if possible. Early morning, late afternoon and overcast days work wonderfully for natural lighting. You won't have to worry about the harsh glare of the sun. If you can’t go outside, use the available light around you; window light can produce beautiful effects. Change your perspective, get on your child’s level and then break that rule and shoot straight from above or way below. Trying different angles can produce great results.

Do your best to make the shoot as fun as possible, relax and have fun yourself. The kids will feed off of you and you will have some great images to show for it.

Ania Mikol Photography specializes in children and family portraiture. Ania’s residential gallery is located in Westminster, Colorado where she resides with her husband and two beautiful children.