Toddlers rarely hold still. A few changes to how you take the picture will give you a photo sharp enough to print and frame.
Find the light first
Most blurry photos come from low light. In a dim room the camera takes longer to capture each picture, and any movement during that moment smears. Move near a large window during the day, or step outside into open shade. In bright, even light the camera works in a fraction of a second, fast enough to catch a turning head or a waving hand.
Turn off the flash
A flash flattens faces, makes eyes glow red, and often startles a small child, so the next picture is a cry. Window light is softer and kinder to skin. If a room is too dark without the flash, wait for a brighter time of day.
Get down to their level
Kneel or sit so your phone is at your child’s eye height. Photos taken from standing height show the top of a head and make a child look small. At their level you see their whole face, and they are more likely to look straight at you.
Give them something to do
A child busy with a book, a stack of blocks, or a bowl of blueberries stays in one place longer. Talk to them while you take pictures, or ask someone to stand behind you and call their name. The expressions that come from play look more like your child than a smile on request.
Take a run of pictures
Most phones have a burst setting that takes a quick series of photos at once. Use it whenever your child is moving, then keep the sharpest one. Taking twenty pictures to get one good one is normal, even for professional photographers.
Hold steady and focus on the face
Tap your child’s face on the screen before you take the picture so the camera focuses there. Hold the phone with both hands and your elbows against your body. Walk closer to fill the frame, since pinching to zoom throws away detail a print needs.
Check it before you print
Zoom in on the eyes. If you can make out the eyelashes, the photo is sharp enough to frame. Send us the original from your phone, since copies shared through messaging apps are shrunk and print soft. Your best one can become a framed photograph or an illustrated portrait.
